GOD QUITE CLEAR THIS TIME
 |
| Jim Watson, a photojournalist who formerly worked as a U.S. Navy photographer, captured this image of the president during a press conference Oct. 10, 2025 where the president was announcing the cancellation of government programs - he defined as "Democrat" programs - meant to help low- and middle-class Americans. |
When I first heard about this photograph, I was shocked!
Could it be our Satan in Residence at the White House really had forgotten to retract his horns prior to his giving a press conference?
I Googled the photo everyone was talking about this past week and, sure enough, the Demon's horns were actually on display.
Well, this is the price that's paid when you demean the stately Oval Office with so much gold bling it resembles a cheap imitation of the Kremlin or a Russian oligarch's man-cave -- but then, who would know better the interior decor of an oligarch's playroom?
Nobel
Committee!
Though I recognize "politics makes for strange bedfellows" and sometimes you have to lie down with despicable people to achieve one's ends -- I have serious reservations about the true aims of Machado and those whom she has appealed to in her cause.
This is a man 28 women have accused of violent sexual assault, was found guilty of sexual abuse and defamation in 2023, was found guilty of 34 Counts of Fraud in 2024, admitted he “has much in common” with Jeffrey Epstein, and conspired with the cabal running his first administration to foment an insurrection on January 6, 2021.
And now, in his second term, has made no secret of his plans to disenfranchise
American voters and limit the individual rights guaranteed American citizens in their constitution, all the while establishing
permanent power for himself and his extremist MAGA cult.
Why would any organization
consider a man such as that
for
any prize?
October 5, 2025
It will be interesting to see if many of the Republicans send out the same Assault-Rifle themed Christmas cards they sent out last year.
TRUMP Mansplaining at UN
He also made sure to whine again about having to do everything himself because no one does it as well as he does, told the other countries they're all going to hell -- yet, you should give me lots of awards.
When the UN attendees realized he was making crap up because someone had wisely turned off his teleprompter, they got up and headed to the buffet room, leaving Trump and a perpetually pouting Melania to leave in a huff.
Back in time, when the Republican Party actually had intelligent constituents and leaders, one named Lincoln said:
Our Liberal Origins:
& Freedom of Speech
I listened carefully this week as Republican congressmen were weighing in on the Disney-owned ABC network suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely after comments Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s killing.
Such revealing comments were made by Republicans,
such as this one by Senator Kevin Cramer [(R) N.Carolina]:
“I have no problem with it. One of the things that makes a liberal a liberal is when they think they are smarter than everybody else and they say anything they want because they’re so brilliant. And everyone ought to listen.”
Uhm, why yes, Senator, and thank you for the
compliment. You’re exactly right about
us liberals, it is rather surprising that we alone seem to recall our nation's origins evolved out of the Liberal philosophy of our Enlightened forefathers –
unlike yourself.
Listening to what the Republican congressmen had to say this
week regarding the censorship of late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, I
can't help but think what turncoats they are to the principles our forefathers
stood for.
I don’t like perspectives regularly presented on FOX News Channel. However, I don’t wail and whine and demand that it be removed from the airwaves. I recognize that we are a dual-party nation with multiple perspectives in our diverse society and that I can simply choose another channel with a different perspective. My prayer is that this right to choose continues to be a freedom in this country, despite the authoritarian regime currently at the helm.
And so, if you have a problem with a late night
host, pull the remote out of your tight*ss and change the channel.
Thanks all, and have a great week!
GLASS HOUSES!
or,
Why Maxwell had to be silenced!
I've now finished a new piece in The Atlantic by Jonathan Chait,
"The Epstein Letter Is Real, And It's Bad."
I love that the cover image for Chait's great article is an image of Trump surrounded by glass windows. Talk about a Proverbial lesson in "Glass Houses!" During his campaign, feeding his hungry MAGA masses, Trump threw plenty of stones while promoting conspiracy theories linking former President Bill Clinton to Epstein. While both Bill and Hillary Clinton had past ties to Epstein, recently released documents now reveal it is actually Trump himself linked to a highly suggestive letter in Epstein's "birthday book".
Is it no wonder, then, the Trump team went into pre-emptive strike mode this summer?
 |
| Maxwell & Epstein |
BACKGROUND:
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in 2019. A month later, he was found dangling from a noose in his New York jail cell. A medical examiner ruled that his death was a suicide. No one believed that report, particularly after the DOJ released CCTV footage they tried to claim supported the conclusion and 2 minutes and 53 seconds of it was missing and the video was found to have been modified despite the FBI's claim that it was raw.
Ghislaine Maxwell would also be found guilty, like Epstein, of child sex trafficking and was sentenced in federal court in New York City in 2021 to 20 years of imprisonment.
On August 1, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Maxwell had been transferred from FCI Tallahassee to a Prison “Camp” in Bryan, Texas, a minimum security facility, "among the facilities with the lowest level of security in the federal system, with limited or no perimeter fencing, dormitory-style housing and a relatively low staff-to-inmate ratio", regarded as one of the best federal prisons to serve time in.
The White House told reporters that she had received no "preferential treatment" and suggested that her move was routine. Routine? As if!
August 30, 2025
AMERICA'S
PRIORITIES
Idol Worship
_____________
August 22, 2025
"PEACE IN OUR TIME"
 |
| "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." |
TRUMP AND PUTIN
JOKING AROUND
 |
| Reuters, 8.15.2025 |
over the passing of our nation's secrets?
over how many trolls it takes to turn an election?
over how many Ukrainian deaths it takes to earn Trump a Nobel Prize?
Over Prigozhin? Yushenkov? Politkovskaya? Litvinenko? Nemtsov?
Sigh...sharing a laugh, indeed.
Take a good look folks: the tax-evading, convicted felon who thinks he's your best president ever sits in a limo harboring a dictator on the ICC's Most Wanted List for War Crimes.
PROMPTS TRUMP TO LOCKDOWN D.C.
Fact: Contrary to the President's bullcrap, data shows crime in D.C. is down. Violent crime dropped 26% this year so far, compared to the same period last year. Homicide dropped 12% and assaults with a dangerous weapon dropped 20%. These include non-fatal shootings and stabbings.
My fellow Americans, Trump's actions are getting scarier and scarier.
As if we don't know who the real criminals are in D.C.!
...more specifically, white Republicans,
proceeded with the evil deed their Fuhrer
has mandated that they enact,
the disenfranchisement of Texas minorities
by re-drawing the state's districts so that
Trump can remain on the throne.
Samuel Garcia drove three hours to --
get off their damn phones and listen to him --
and then, gave them a piece of his mind!
all about State's Rights... so,
Government Efficiency
- Remediation and updates to make the buildings safe, healthy, and effective places to work by removing asbestos and lead contamination, and accommodating modern workplace technology.
- Complete replacement of antiquated systems such as electrical; plumbing; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC); and fire detection and suppression systems.
- Major structural work to bring the buildings up to modern code, including current accessibility, security, and safety standards.
What does Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency have to say about the spending in the left column?
[Crickets]
PREACHES THIS:
Katie Johnson was 13.*
for impeachment now?
 |
| Oh, Look! Middle row, first pic; Third row, first pic: It's Trump and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell! |
July 23, 2025
UNPRECENDENTED LEVELS
It’s pretty common to use the term “unprecedented” when it comes to Donald Trump—but C.R.E.W. has the numbers to back it up in their new report.
 |
| Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington is an organization that I proudly support. This July, a generous donor is matching all gifts, so your donation now will double the impact. Support C.R.E.W. |
Trump has continued to defy presidential norms by spending a significant amount of time at properties he owns and profits from. In the last six months, he made 91 visits to his properties—a 20% increase from last term.
That means Trump has visited his properties more than half of the days he’s been president.
By frequently visiting properties that he still owns and profits from, Trump is signaling to those looking to gain access to him that they should follow suit—and they are doing exactly that.
In the last six months, foreign government officials from ten countries have made 19 visits to Trump properties, including the presidents of four different countries. Members of Trump’s administration have also traveled to his properties and brought business and attention with them. And members of Congress have flocked to Trump properties, with House Republicans hosting a retreat at Trump’s Doral resort days after his inauguration.
And this isn’t the only way Trump has profited from retaining interest in his hospitality empire.
Over the last six months, special interest groups, political committees and foreign governments have hosted or sponsored events at Trump properties—allowing Trump to profit from those looking to curry favor with him.
For example, the Seasonal Employment Alliance PAC, which hires seasonal foreign workers, held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago after the Trump administration delayed release of limited foreign visas. Less than two weeks after this event, the administration released new visa spots.
Political committees have hosted 21 events in the last six months at Trump properties. And according to a CREW analysis, political groups have already spent more than $675,000 at Trump properties.
Aside from using the presidency to profit from visits and events to his properties, Trump has also used it to advertise his businesses and grow his fortune.
In the last six months, he’s promoted his properties by mentioning them 54 times, and he’s taken to Truth Social to advertise products like his book, television shows and cryptocurrencies.
Trump’s also embraced crypto while his administration has loosened restrictions on the industry. In May, he hosted a dinner for the top holders of his $TRUMP memecoin—which brought in $148 million from those looking to buy access to the president.
The Trump Organization is also rapidly expanding around the world. There are currently 20 Trump properties under development in nine countries, giving foreign leaders the opportunity to provide special treatment to Trump through these developments.
Six months into Trump’s second term, and we’ve seen Trump commit greater abuses of his office and profit in more corrupt ways than he did during his first term. We could not have imagined that he could lower the ethical bar even further, but he has.
CREW is more committed than ever to combat this corruption. We will hold Trump accountable every chance we get. Back in April, CREW sued the Trump Administration for illegally taking down the Office of Management and Budget website that shows how it directs agencies to spend taxpayer money.
On July 21, 2025 the court affirmed that we were right: Americans have a right to know how taxpayer money is being spent. In our victory, the Judge wrote:
“[T]here is nothing unconstitutional about Congress requiring the Executive Branch to inform the public of how it is apportioning the public’s money. Defendants are therefore required to stop violating the law!”
Contrary to the Trump administration’s absurd arguments, it is NOT unconstitutional for Congress to require the executive branch to be transparent.
Requiring spending decisions like this to be public will be a critical check on the executive branch’s abuse and misuse of federal funds, especially in a time when it is pulling funding at whim and running roughshod over the separation of powers.
Support C.R.E.W.
___________________
 |
| Donald Trump struts, sings, and “drains the swamp” in a 1930s musical spectacular… with flappers, prison kicks, and the Epstein list. |
while committing a deed
must surely be ashamed
of what they're doing.
take off the damn mask!
You will see German neighbors trying to intercede and being shoved aside as the uniformed strongmen jerk frightened men, women, and children across a room and out a door - some are Jews, some are Poles, some are ...well, the list goes on.
Perhaps it's time to refresh our collective memory of "First They Came" by Pastor Martin Niemöller.
Recommended article,
July 10, 2025
Angry Trump Shocked to Learn
Putin Has Been Deceptive
 |
| Trump says he's "not happy with Putin" because "he's killing a lot of people." OMG, where have you been for the last three years?! |
“I'm not happy with Putin. I can tell you that much right now,”
Trump said, expressing his frustration with the Russian leader over the war in Ukraine,
"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth..."
Really, Mr Trump?
Surely not?!
Not from your pal, Mr Putin?!
Who remembers the 2018 Helsinki meeting in Trump's first term – the “no notes” secret tryst out of which both came wearing big smiles and Trump announced to the whole world that he believed Putin when Putin said Russia has never interfered in a single American election and, almost on cue, together they giggled.
The only thing missing when they came out of
the room together was Putin lighting a cigarette and Trump adjusting a wet wedgie.
Who remembers Trump repeatedly criticizing the Biden administration for its awful sanctions on Mr. Putin?
Who remembers that in the first 7 months of this second
term, the Trump administration issued no new restrictions on Russia, in effect allowing Moscow to acquire the money and materials it needs in its conflict
with Ukraine?
And now we’re told that Mr. Trump intends to disengage
himself from yet another of his failed bromances (Giuliani, Manafort, Bannon,
Flynn, Cohen, the list goes on – let’s not forget Musk). Trump’s even got me
beat in the Bad Bromance department!
But at what cost have both we and the people of Ukraine paid - -
Today, July 10, Russia intensified its
drone attacks against Ukraine's
capital city, Kyiv.
because Mr Art-of-the-Deal Trump had to learn the lesson about Putin the hard way, stubbornly refusing to listen to more geopolitically astute advisers who warned against getting in bed with Putin.
And, will there be any repercussions for Hegseth going rogue and trying to halt aid to Ukraine now that Trump has finally woken up?
Who remembers: “An authoritarian leader who has murdered journalists in his
own country, assassinated his political rivals and prohibits fair elections,
runs a regime of repression, makes repeated aggressive moves in eastern Europe –
I don’t understand any American siding with Vladimir Putin on any subject.” - Hillary Clinton, 2023.
Well Hillary, I suppose it's better late than never.
Let's hope it's not too late for Ukraine.
Let's hope it's not too late for western Europe.
Independent analyses – ranging from Yale University to the Congressional Budget Office – have each said that President Donald Trump’s budget plan will add trillions of dollars to the U.S. deficit over the next 10 years.
__________
July 4, 2025
REPUBLICANS SHOOT THE BIRD
TO OUR ENVIRONMENT & HEALTHCARE
Legislation Steals from the Poor
to Reward Their Rich Donors
 |
| GOP Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky (l.), Susan Collins of Maine (r.), and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had the courage and the moral fiber so rare among Republicans to say "NO" to the awful Senate bill. |
"YOU DON'T DESERVE
AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE,
OUR HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES
DESERVE MORE MONEY!"
Senate Republicans are gifting us with their 940-page budget reconciliation package that will result in nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act over ten years and will leave over 11 million more people uninsured, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office.
The Senate Bill will result in higher premium costs and red tape for Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollees, significant coverage losses, uncompensated care for health care providers, and strains on state budgets. It will make the ACA marketplace coverage more costly and harder to enroll in by barring automatic re-enrollment for subsidy-eligible consumers, imposing new verification requirements that would burden consumers and marketplaces alike.
has come out attacking the
Senate Bill
The bill restricts the ways that states can raise revenue to support their share of the Medicaid program. And it requires more frequent eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid expansion enrollees (guaranteed to cripple the system and its staff), and installs new co-pays for certain low-income Medicaid enrollees.
It prohibits federal Medicaid funds from flowing to Planned Parenthood and other women's reproductive health facilities that provide access to abortions and bars the use of federal Medicaid and CHIP funds for costs associated with otherwise covered services provided for the treatments for transgender people.
"SCREW CLEAN ENERGY & JOBS
WE'RE STICKING WITH FOSSIL FUEL!"
Instead of prioritizing their own constituents, Senate Republicans released a bill that, just like the House version, eliminates the clean energy investments that are lowering energy costs for everyday people and creating good paying, union jobs. With the bill's tax cut provisions that will cost us $4.5 trillion in revenue, Republican Senators lept at the opportunity to make ill-advised cuts totaling more than $500 billion in clean energy incentives designed to spur energy technology transformation in the U.S.
Thanks to provisions to cut clean energy tax credits, hundreds of thousands of workers in the clean energy sector would lose their jobs if this bill becomes law. Without the tax credits, billions of dollars in private investment in wind and solar projects would disappear overnight, stranding clean energy projects across the country and leaving those working on the projects without a job.
Losing funding for clean energy projects could also force communities to rely on polluting, expensive fossil fuels to meet their energy needs and face electricity reliability problems like brown-outs and blackouts. This would further increase already oppressively high energy costs nationwide. Under this bill, ratepayers could expect their energy bills to go up $110 by next year, and over $400 per year in the next five.
 |
| Read the Sierra Club's Statement Against Public Lands Sales |
Senate Republican leadership is trying to sell off millions acres of treasured public lands across the West, even though it is against the rules of the Senate, in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. If the bill becomes law, popular recreational areas, critical wildlife habitat, and areas with immense cultural or historical significance could be privatized and even opened up to environmentally devastating oil and gas development.
"WE ARE REPUBLICANS, AFTER ALL,
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would overwhelmingly redistribute resources from the lowest-income Americans to the highest-income Americans. 60% of the bill’s tax cuts would go to the top 20% of households and more than a third would go to those making $460,000 or more, according to the Tax Policy Center.
The Senate Republican reconciliation bill would give huge tax breaks to wealthy individuals, businesses, and large corporations while leaving behind or raising costs for millions of working families. Here are some of the impacts:
Under the Senate bill, the average family earning less than $50,000 would get about $250 in tax cuts in 2027, less than $1 a day, while the average tax filer earning $1 million or more a year would receive over $100,000 in tax breaks.
That’s how tilted that bill is to those at the very top, with policies like extending a special deduction for wealthy business owners — millionaires get more than half of this break — and an estate tax exemption for wealthy heirs of $30 million per couple.
An analysis of the bill from the Budget Lab at Yale University found that benefits disappear for all but the wealthiest 10 percent when you account for the rising consumer costs due to President Trump’s tariffs.____________
__________________________
Sources:
- The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
- HealthAffairs.org
- League of Conservation Voters
- Sierra Club.org
- Associated Press, "Clean Energy Funding Ends With Trump"
_____________
PUTIN IS WELCOME INSIDE:
The Trump Administration's
New Cyber Threat Policy
Recent incidents indicate the US is no longer characterizing Russia as a cybersecurity threat, marking a radical departure: ‘Putin is on the inside now!’
The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments.
The shift in policy could make the US vulnerable to hacking attacks by Russia, experts warned, and appeared to reflect the warming of relations between Donald Trump and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Two recent incidents indicate the US is no longer characterizing Russia as a cybersecurity threat... Read full article in The Guardian
June 27, 2025
June 26, 2025
June 22, 2025
 |
| Dmitry Medvedev |
Listen To Russia's Response
to the U.S. Attack on Iran
"Think carefully about what the Americans accomplished
with their nighttime strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran:
Despite warnings from multiple nations on the U.N. Security Council that the United States should not involve itself in the Middle East conflict between Israel and Iran --
the recent war that began when Israel first attacked Iran two weeks ago --
the U.S. President chose to act without any alliance-support and launch his own attack on the nation of Iran, bombing production facilities he knew the Iranians had already emptied of significant material.
This type of unilateral belligerence by the United States the whole world witnessed once before in Iraq. The nations of the world can not sit idly by and do nothing in response to American aggression in this region once again.
And so, a number of countries have now stated publicly they are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads....
Despite any former agreements - now made null by the United States' own behavior - this means the enrichment of nuclear material and, yes, we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons, will continue....
With this unprecedented military action by the United States, the Iranian people are now rallying around the country' spiritual leadership with a fervor like never before, including those who were previously indifferent or opposed to the nation's theocratic rulers....
Donald
Trump, once hailed as ‘president of peace,’ has now pushed the US into another
war. At
this rate, Trump can forget about the Nobel Peace Prize — not even with how
rigged it has become. The
US is now entangled in a new conflict, with prospects of a ground operation
looming on the horizon.
June 21, 2025
Our President Wants You to
Turn Your Attention Over There
The Constitution According to Trump
June 11, 2025
- This act prohibits the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement purposes. While the President can deploy troops under the Insurrection Act in certain situations, there's a requirement for state consent, particularly when dealing with state-based insurrections. The process for issuing orders to the National Guard, for example, should occur in consultation with the state's governor.
- _______________________
DEAR CALIFORNIA LABORERS, Let me explain...
As Elon reminded us today:
"DJT was a member of the Epstein circle.
We should all recall that he was quoted in The New Yorker in 2005 saying,
"Oh yeah, my buddy Epstein, he’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,” Trump said.
As Elon confirmed for us today:
"Trump would have lost
the election without me."
So, there's something to the
Starlink conspiracy theory, after all!
I hate having to choose between two evils.
 |
| The girls are fighting while Gramps waits for his reduced Medicaid check. A second pitiful Trump administration, and so embarrassing. |
 |
| I love these two women, Jen and Pumps, who are -- unbelievably -- in the red state of Oklahoma. |
Man, their podcasts about the
Trump regime insanity are spot on!
I've loved every episode in their
I've Had It Podcast [IHIP News] series.
and Musk now turning on Trump and the idiot Re-thug-licans in the House of Representatives who passed that awful "beautiful bill" --
wow, I think this episode the ladies put together is probably one of my all-time faves.
the Trump-Musk lovefest is over
and I'll definitely be adding Musk to my ever-growing
"I worshipped Donald Trump,
'til he screwed up my life"
list of idiots
(see May 18 posting below if you're not aware of this list).
 |
| Look at the expression on House Leader Mike Johnson's face, he's thinking: "Man, you are so full of crap!" |
About Trump's
"Beautiful Bill"
The vote was 215-214 last night,
with two Republicans joining Democrats
in opposing Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill.
It now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Thankfully, there are already Senate Republicans saying the bill is a nightmare.
1. Does the House’s “one big beautiful bill” cut Medicare? (Answer: Yes, by an estimated $500 billion.)
2. Because the bill cuts Medicaid, how many Americans are expected to lose Medicaid coverage? (At least 8.6 million.)
3. Will the tax cut in the bill benefit the rich, the poor, or everyone? (Overwhelmingly, the rich.)
4. How much will the top 0.1 percent of earners stand to gain from it? (Nearly $390,000 per year.)
5. If you figure in the benefit cuts and the tax cuts, will Americans making between about $17,000 and $51,000 gain or lose? (They’ll lose about $700 a year.)
6. How about Americans with incomes less than $17,000? (They’ll lose more than $1,000 per year on average.)
7. How much will the bill add to the federal debt? ($3.8 trillion over 10 years.)
8. Who will pay the interest on this extra debt? (All of us, in both our tax payments and higher interest rates for mortgages, car loans, and all other longer-term borrowing.)
9. Who collects this interest? (People who lend to the U.S. government, 70 percent of whom are American and most of whom are wealthy.)
10. Bonus question: Is the $400 million airplane from Qatar a gift to the United States for every future president to use, or a gift to Trump for his own personal use? (It’s a personal gift, because he’ll get to use it after he leaves the presidency.)
Most Americans are strongly opposed to all of these things, according to polls. But if you knew the answers to these 10 questions, you’re likely to be in a very tiny minority. That’s because of -
(1) distortions and cover-ups emanating from Trump and magnified by Fox News and other rightwing outlets;
(2) a public that’s overwhelmed with the blitzkrieg of everything Trump is doing and can’t focus on this;
(3) outright silencing of many in the media who fear retaliation from the Trump regime if they reveal things that Trump doesn’t want revealed.
Once again the Republican party has demonstrated they are the party for the rich, for corporate America, determined to eliminate regulations meant to protect us from harm and federal programs meant to "provide for the general welfare" of the American people.
___________________
draped across a government building?
he's just checking the boxes
How to be a Totalitarian Ruler
I need a hu--u-ge banner of me
a temple-like building. Got that?
this is where we're heading
Tell me,
to add this loser to our list?
"I worshipped Donald Trump,
'til he screwed up my life"
List
Too soon to add Musk, or is it time to add Musk?
______________________________
May 6, 2025
In the Evolution of Tyranny
"In the past, essential rules have been consistently implemented in the evolution of tyrannical rule:3.) controlling the flow of information and promoting a favorable narrative, tyrants attempt to legitimize their rule and prevent dissent. Controlling media outlets, censoring dissent, and rewriting history are common methods to suppress alternative narratives and maintain their grip on power." (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Do you know your Latin? And, more to the point, do you know the story of Cicero’s famous take-down speech in the Roman Senate aimed at Catiline?
 |
| A Fresco by Cesare Maccari (1840-1919 CE) depicting Roman senator Cicero (106-43 BCE) denouncing the conspirator Catiline in the Roman senate. (Palazzo Madama, Rome) |
I am currently reading Mary Beard’s “SPQR” and she begins the book examining this critical moment in the Roman Republic. I encourage you to examine it as well.
When you do, I hope you'll appreciate my paraphrase on this famous quote from Cicero’s speech:
Quo usque tandem abutere, Trump, patientia nostra?"
- First Catilinarian, Cicero; 63 BCE
SURGE LIBERALES, KAIROS!
you know me, I couldn't resist:
had her purse stolen at a D.C. restaurant
on April 20, losing $3,000 in cash,
her ID, medication, and
her official DHS badge.
Despite Secret Service protection,
the suspect got away...
former sex kitten of Trump's,
put in charge of our security,
digested that fully)
had only recently received $3,000 in cash
funnel that away
into her Cayman Island's account.
Hits Three-Year Low
Trump-Appointed Defense Secretary
Hegseth with his wife and brother
came from top U.S. General's
secure messages
This is the 2nd time
this idiot has done this stupid thing
 |
| Here is Hegseth at the White House Easter Egg Roll striking his "I'm a dumb shit" pose. It's his head that needs to roll! |
in the Trump administration.
GET READY FOR A GOOD LAUGH:
These recent finds on the web had me ROFLMAO!
A lot of good ones here - I loved the penguin. Loved seeing Biden at the end. But, I have to say, my favorite was the hot shirtless Canadian prime minister I'm so sad is no longer his country's head of state.
Late-night hosts reacted to market panic over Donald Trump’s tariffs and the new Maga party line that money actually isn’t important, anyway.
“Our economy is in the midst of a beautiful metamorphosis, turning from a simple caterpillar into … a dead caterpillar,” said Jon Stewart from his usual Monday night perch at The Daily Show. Watch this great segment where he goes after the Republican spin on a disaster in the making.
In the days since Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly every country, the stock market saw its worst downturn since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. “This turmoil could have lasting effects on the global economy, on everyday Americans, and most worryingly, the stock portfolios of members of Congress,” said Stewart. “Mr President, now is the time to soothe a worried nation!”
Stewart pointed to Trump’s attempt, a Truth Social post that read: “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid. Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!).”
“‘Panican?’ The genius who gave us classics like ‘Sleepy Joe’ and ‘Crooked Hillary’ just shit out: ‘You’re a Panican?’” Stewart laughed. “Did the overseas factory you had been sourcing your nicknames from get shut down during the tariff war?”
“But for those of us who have been tricked into believing that an economic crisis is a crisis, Trump’s people have an answer.” Stewart then ran with a litany of conservative broadcasters in the past week suggesting that "it's not about our money."
That would be the new Republican line that actually, money doesn’t matter. As the Fox News host and Trump booster Jeanine Pirro put it: “I don’t really care about my 401(k).”
“When did the right become so chill?” Stewart wondered. “Aren’t you the ‘Bud Light is turning my kids trans’ folks? But economic meltdown and you’re getting all philosophical?
My favorite part: when Stewart pulls out The Art of the Deal and reminds us all what a fantastic businessman Trump is.
I read a recent hypothesis last week that suggests Trump's numerous misadventures led him in the past to frequently blame Wall Street investors who bailed on him rather than provide the bailouts he desperately needed. And that this is part of his grand plan to get back at Wall Street. Hmmmm...I wonder.
 |
|
The suggestion, made Thursday in Vienna, aligns with growing European anger over what many leaders see as politically motivated economic aggression..."
One would think it would cause some amount of self-examination among the GOP that not only Americans but the rest of the world recognize this "politically-motivated" insanity for what it is!
_____________
The corruption escalated in the Trump administration this week with a happy spree of clemencies for white-collar criminals.
 |
| Trevor Milton; Convict. |
Among them, Trump pardoned Trevor Milton—an electric car company CEO who was convicted of fraud.
If you don’t know who he is, here’s a quick summary: Milton founded Nikola, an electric truck company he named after Nikola Tesla. He was convicted of fraud in 2022 for lying to investors.
Here’s another fact about Milton: shortly before the election, he and his wife donated $1.8 million to a Trump fundraising committee.
Milton said Thursday in a post on social platform X that he spoke to Trump over the phone and that he signed his pardon of “innocence.” “The prosecutors can no longer hurt me,” Milton said in a video accompanying the post.
Can I throw up now?
How many Trump donors are going to be let off the hook as a result of Trump's pardons and purges of government agencies like the CFPB, DOJ and IRS?
April 1, 2025
China’s Counterattack:
Economic Warfare
China is strategically responding to Trump’s tariffs with its own set of countermeasures, leveraging its vast market to hurt American manufacturers, tech firms, and farmers. As China strengthens its global influence, the U.S. risks losing access to one of the world’s largest consumer markets, further straining the American economy.
Mexico and Canada:
North American Pushback
Mexico and Canada, once cooperative trade partners, have already implemented retaliatory tariffs, targeting key U.S. exports. They are also diversifying trade relationships with Europe and Asia, leaving the U.S. isolated. American farmers and manufacturers are bearing the brunt, and the economic damage is mounting.
Europe’s Strategic Response
The European Union is not only retaliating with tariffs, but is also expanding its trade ties with China, India, and Latin America. The U.S. risks becoming sidelined as Europe works to create alternative trade networks that exclude American influence.
The Global Shift:
A Dangerous Isolation for the U.S.
Countries around the world are recalibrating their trade policies to bypass the U.S. In response to tariffs, they are seeking new economic partnerships, and the U.S. is being left behind. The global economic order is shifting, and the U.S. risks becoming isolated—struggling with higher prices, lost market access, and a diminished role in the world economy.
Too bad, so sad
for America's local farmers.
USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks
USDA had previously allocated $500 million in deliveries to food banks for fiscal year 2025 through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Now, the food bank leaders say many of those orders have been canceled.
The halting of these deliveries comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from America's local farmers.
The halting of these deliveries comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from America's local farmers.
 |
| Money that had been earmarked for the USDA to purchase produce from local farmers to support America's food banks has been diverted instead to Trump's pet projects. |
Terry's Thoughts:
Well, how else are we going to make up for the planned tax cuts for the wealthy? Diminished revenue for the federal coffers will necessitate a reduction in the dole, or "bread and circuses" -- well, at least the bread.
I'm quite sure the circus will move foward.
Musk's DOGE
(Dept. of Government Efficiency)
takes aim at Social Security
 |
| Horsey, The Seattle Times; March 23, 2025 |
"Claiming the need to cut SSA in the name of efficiency, DOGE has targeted the agency's field offices, workforce, and telephone services. These are critical touch points for people with Medicare.
DOGE led with announcements that it would be closing down SSA field offices as well...." [Read more]
Don't Cut Our
Social Security
Social Security didn’t cause the nation’s debt; we pay for Social Security through every one of our paychecks. However, some are calling for a commission in Congress that could potentially cut Social Security and Medicare in order to reduce our country’s debt.
This is outrageous and we won’t let lawmakers take the money we’ve earned after a lifetime of work.
Message your members of Congress
reminding them that Social Security SHOULDN’T be cut in order to reduce the nation’s debt.
March 16, 2025
Republicans Remain Silent
as Crazy Nero Wreaks Havoc
 |
| Kal, Baltimore Sun; March 16, 2025 |
If you’re still flummoxed by the abject servility of congressional Republicans, by their refusal to confront Trump and stand up for actual conservative American values, check out last night’s primary election in South Carolina. The purging of Mark Sanford says it all.
Sanford is a long-serving conservative lawmaker (and former governor) who typically votes with his party, but on a few public occasions, he has actually dared to suggest (gasp) that Trump is not the supreme very stable genius that the deluded Republican base deems Trump to be. The result: Sanford loses his job.
For the inexcusable sin of speaking his mind about factual reality, the Republican base voters in Sanford’s House district threw him out last night, handing the GOP nomination to a far-right Trumper who repeatedly denounced Sanford as “disloyal.”
Recommended article:
- The Data Hoarders Resisting Trump's Purge;
Mar. 14, 2025; The New Yorker Magazine.
Shortly after Donald Trump took office, a disturbing pattern emerged. C.D.C. web pages on vaccines, H.I.V. prevention, and reproductive health disappeared. Reports on bird flu transmission vanished within minutes. The Census Bureau’s public records went offline, and when they returned, crucial directories were gone. The Department of Justice scrubbed its website of references to the January 6th insurrection, and even WhiteHouse.gov removed an explainer page on the Constitution.
More than 130,000 government webpages have been erased in what one scientist described as a “digital book burning.” These deletions weren’t accidental. They weren’t glitches. They were part of a systemic effort to control public knowledge, rewrite reality, and shape a narrative that favors power over truth. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that when information is erased, accountability soon follows....
(Read more)
March 9, 2025
Today's Top Story:
"It's gonna take a little time,
but I think it should be great for us."
He thinks it should be...
sure is making America great again!
______________________
Things Are About To Get Ugly
How ugly, America? Well now....
Let's hear from the Canadians first.
Make that make sense."
It doesn't make sense, Mr. Trudeau...
except when you have a Russian asset in the White House now orchestrating the collapse of the United States of America.
Trudeau said that Canada would plaster retaliatory tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods in response to Trump's tariffs on Candian goods.
Well now...that's certain to be great for the American economy.
And now, let's hear from Mexico.
Marcelo Ebrard, head of the Mexican Ministry of Economy, warned that these taxes would represent an approximate cost of $20.5 billion for about 89 million American families. He also warned of the possible inflationary impact on products such as computers, televisions, refrigerators, agricultural goods, auto parts, and vehicles.
Mexico is a key trading partner for the United States. Between January and November 2024, Mexican exports totaled $466.6 billion, while American exports reached $309.4 billion.
The automotive industry has shown significant regional integration under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This agreement allows foreign companies that produce in Mexico or Canada and use locally sourced materials to export their products to the United States at low tax rates.
Trump is now violating the agreement that he pushed for and signed with our closest neighbors.
 |
| Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, U.S. president Donald Trump, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau signed the USMCA agreement during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 30, 2018. |
Mexico's National Auto Parts Industry has warned that the imposition of tariffs on Mexican imports will weaken trade, reduce competitiveness in the region, and affect economic stability.
In a statement, it stressed that the automotive and auto parts sector is a pillar of North American exports, with the capacity to generate more than 11 million jobs in the USMCA countries. The association foresees that assemblers in Mexico could reduce production by as much as 1 million units this year due to the new taxes, which would affect product availability, job creation, and the supply chain.
88 percent of the pickups sold in the United States come from Mexico and are assembled by companies such as General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. The minister of economy emphasized that the tariffs would represent the United States shooting itself in the foot, as it would directly impact its own automotive companies, which depend on Mexican production to supply their domestic market.
The electronics and appliance sector will also be affected. In November 2024, Mexican exports of electrical and electronic equipment reached $8.9 billion, 89 percent of which was destined for the US. The production of these devices is concentrated in Baja California, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León, where thousands of jobs and assembly plants could be at risk.
Trump's tariffs will have significant implications for US consumers. An SEC study estimates that the additional levy would cost an extra $7.1 billion for 40 million families purchasing computers. Likewise, it is expected that around 32 million households would pay up to $2.4 million more when purchasing new monitors, and around 5 million families would assume an extra expense of $817 million when purchasing refrigerators.
An analysis by the US Congress warns that the unilateral imposition of these tariffs could violate the USMCA agreement, which would unleash a trade war with serious economic consequences for the countries involved. “The tariffs would be a violation of the USMCA, which would allow Mexico to file a trade dispute. This could affect US exports valued at billions of dollars,” the report states.
The impact will not only be seen in domestic spending, says Gutiérrez. “The US market buys many raw materials from Mexico. A product that is produced in the United States and that would not be affected by the tariffs directly, will see changes in its production price due to the cost increase in the supply chain.” She adds that Trump's tariff measures “jeopardize the production chain in North America, one of the most integrated at a global level. They threaten jobs and make us less efficient and resilient to compete with other economies, such as China.”
Economic analyst Roberto Aguilar told WIRED that Mexico will be the main loser, since the US strategy seeks to strengthen its local production. “The nearshoring is on hold and will wait until certainty returns, both externally and internally. A recession in the Mexican economy is highly probable, since, beyond the trade threat, the country began a downward trend last year due to the lack of certainty and investment,” he says. The consequences of a severe recession in Mexico will include increased instability and threaten the progress made by Mexico in the recent decade to retain its labor force.
Well now...that's all certain to be great for the American economy.
[Plus, he's so dang hot, is he not?]
with your dog, Mr. Putin!
 |
| Bill Bramhall; New York Daily News, 2025. |
___________
Today marks one month since Donald Trump began his second term as president.
It’s been thirty one days of chaos, conflicts of interest and lawbreaking.
 |
| Deng Coy Miel, Singapore News |
Thirty-one days of Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies moving fast and breaking things (in this case, the law, the Constitution and crucial government agencies), hoping that the American people will be so overwhelmed that they’ll simply tune them out.
So just to review what Trump has spent the last month doing:
- He illegally fired 18 inspectors general, who worked in federal agencies to catch fraud, corruption and wrongdoing in the government.
- He paused the disbursement, probably illegally, of federal funds authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- He illegally tried to end birthright citizenship, a constitutional right, by executive order.
- He is trying to illegally reclassify non-partisan federal employees, apparently in order to fire them and replace them with political loyalists.
- His Justice Department has fired dozens of career prosecutors and FBI agents, while also creating a new working group to probe officials who investigated his crimes.
- He gave Elon Musk and DOGE virtually unlimited access to sensitive information and allowed them to offer a potentially illegal “buyout offer” to 2.3 million federal employees.
 |
| Join me in supporting CREW in their efforts to halt the insanity! |
FAVORITE POLITICAL CARTOON
OF THE MONTH
 |
| Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News |
Two months ago,
 |
| Terry's Political Cartoons |
self-designed political cartoon
in which I predicted
our Russian asset
in the White House
would waste no time
giving Putin exactly what he wanted.
"It Took Trump Only 24 Days To Sell Out Ukraine"
"Christmas came early for Putin this year."
___________
Recommended Jan. 28, 2025:
Heather Cox Richardson's essay,
Immigration & Deportations:
Under Biden, Under Trump
January 20, 2025:
My thoughts on a Megalomaniac's Inaugural
AN EMBARRASSMENT
we're honest enough
to put this question
on our students'
U.S. History Final Exam:
Question:
What could be more embarrassing than
what a U.S. President
and a mob of sore losers
did on January 6, 2021?
 |
| A Minute-by-Minute Historical Account of The Events of Jan 6, 2021 |
Answer:
The same U.S. President
being returned to power
in order to
re-write that history
and pretend it never happened.
_____
Meet a U.S. Capitol Security Officer
who would prefer we didn't forget
Jan 6, 2021.
We all know that a Vampire
can not see his reflection
in a mirror;
and, apparently,
can not put his hand
on a Bible
when asked to swear
to defend the
Constitution of the United States of America.
about where their allegiance lies -
 |
| The wealthy industrialist, & member of our nation's Fascist Party, gave our new Fuhrer the NAZI salute. I suppose that this is what's actually in store for our U. S. History classrooms.  |
America the Beautiful.
Warner Bros. Cartoons'
wardrobe closet --
 |
| Enough said about January 20, 2025 |
a great Darkness fell over the land...
January 1, 2025:
Favorite Quotes
of 2024:
“No, I don’t think I’m judge and jury.
I’m just a little fed up.”
Luigi Mangione, 26, reportedly wrote the line
in a notebook that expressed
'hostility towards the health insurance industry'
prior to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO
Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan.
“They’re eating the dogs.
They’re eating the cats.
They’re eating the pets
of the people who live there.”
Donald Trump, revealing what happens
when you’ve stooped to believing
what’s reported on social media.
“Why not? I paid for it.”
Elon Musk, ostensibly referring to
the reason he is currently crashing in
a small pad at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
– although most believe
he was referring to much more.
“With my leadership women will be
happy, healthy, confident, and free
– no longer having to think about abortion
because it will now be decided for them,
with the States
where it always had to be.”
– Donald Trump,
long-time protector of women.
“Our war is not with the people of Gaza,
it’s with Hamas.”
– Benjamin Netanyahu,
Prime Minister of Israel,
speaking about the 15-month-old war
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza
where the death toll
has surpassed 44,000.
“The word grocery.
It’s a sorta simple word,
but it sorta means like
everything you eat.”
– Donald Trump, etymologist.
______________________
December 1, 2025:
Terry's New
Political Cartoon Series
America's
Inglorious
Restoration
INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to my
"political commentary with humor" page.
If we must put up with him for another 4 years
(and, let's face it, we'll be damn lucky if it is
just 4 years given his past behavior)
then I say let us not allow an opportunity
to laugh go to waste.
Let's have some fun with it
(otherwise we'll go insane).
& the Rise of Trump
may not have been the future we envisioned
But let's not pretend this outcome isn't one long ago predicted.
The philosopher Aristotle warned us what would happen in a democracy where demagogues rose up and assumed immunity to the laws of that democracy.
"For in democracies where the laws are not supreme, demagogues spring up. . . . Demagoguery is to a democracy . . . what tyranny is to other forms of monarchy. The spirit of both is the same, and they alike exercise a despotic rule over the better citizens. The decrees of the [demagogues] correspond to the edicts of the tyrant . . . . Such a democracy is fairly open to the objection that it is not a constitution at all; for where the laws are no longer applied to a privileged few, including the demagogue, there is no constitution. The law ought to be supreme over all . . . .when that is no longer true, a constitutional republic no longer exists."
And so, my friends, being delighted that I will have four years of material falling into my lap courtesy of
the emperor who wears no clothes,
I humbly present to you:
America's Inglorious Restoration
Volume 1
"It's Christmas in Moscow"
Vol 1; Issue 2; Dec. 30, 2024
"The Inaugural" (8 panels)
Terry's November Endorsement
 |
| Who do I support? |
Enjoy looking through my Library
Terry’s “Good Living” Guide:
Avoid the 3 PsBsSs
Processed Foods, Phthalates, Plastics;
Beef, Butter, Breads;
you’ll be feeling better in no time!
Avoid the 3 F’s
misinformation, fear, anger and hate!
JOIN ME IN ENSURING AN EDUCATED CITIZENRY!
JOIN ME IN ENSURING AN EDUCATED CITIZENRY!
I drink it morning through late afternoon.
 |
| Best Bean Ever! |
While on vacation in Oregon I fell in love with the many varieties I discovered at Portland Coffee Roasters.
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