That is over $1M each to those seditious asswipes! Fuck that.
Also, fuck that caller on C-Span. Jan 6 happened after he had voted for Donny twice, and the idiot voted for him again in 2024. Yeah, fuck that guy. HARD!
Brad, I share your anger. But please allow me to add more to this in the hopes of helping to turn things around. This MAGA guy, and there are others like him out there, could be an indicator of the cult fever-dream breaking. If that is in fact what is happening, it might be much worth our while to engage such people not with our anger but with our requests that they make amends by joining the fight. This guy was in a way doing exactly that, by making the effort to get on C-SPAN and providing some "social proof" to others of his ilk that it's fucking OK to now reject this insane MF that they elected twice. Let's tell guys like this to tell their MAGA cult buddies to fucking snap out of it.
Yeah, but did you remarry your abusive spouse three times? No, probably not. I'm offering you absolution for your small sins. Voting for Trump three times deserves a smite.
when you fucked up did you ALSO fuck up the entire country?
Did you tear down a critical wing of the White House? Did you send ICE terrorists after we the people? Did you alienate our country's long standing well developed and protected ally relationships? Did you cost the country our robust tourist trade? Did you cost us our former position as leader of the free world? - did you bomb a girls' school - not once but 3Xs? killing everyone?
did you take away critical SNAP benefits leaving children hungry in the wealthiest country in the world?
I could go on but I am pretty sure your fuck ups did NONE of these things - Trump is pure evil and those who voted for him DID THIS TO US
I agree. Such people caused lot of damage, but I still think we should avoid being vindictive towards those who truly have reformed. People of multiple backgrounds and histories live in the US. How will we understand each other if we wall ourselves into a corner? Some people grow up in small communities that may or may not include reasonable and valid exposures to other opinions. Social media doesn't always substitute well for live interactions and exchanges. Through live interactions, we can better determine who is sincere, and who is not.
Do we really though? My take is every election is a base election, and Democrats need to lean into the base, and not try to appeal to a bunch a racist misogynistic cretins who are never going to vote for a Democrat no matter what they say.
Thinking it's a "base election" is a recipe for disaster. I agree Democrats should not water down their views in a vain appeal to Republicans, but there is a way to promote Democratic issues that will appeal to independents and some Republicans instead of smugly declaring we only need the base. Ceding the middle to the other side is why we lose.
I believe that even if these shitweasels regret their vote for trump, they will still turn around and vote for republicans because they're dyed in the wool republicans who will do whatever it takes to block a democrat.
Just because they regret voting for Donald Trump does NOT mean they have magically become liberals or even moderate Democrats. I would venture to say they will still vote for politicians who espouse MAGA values. Anything else is too much to ask at this early stage of their "conversion."
If they found Donald an appealing "leader," I don't trust their value system.
All of us on the blue side of the fence should keep in mind, for big sects of voters in the mid west, it wasn't just Dump that brain washed them to buy into ultra-conservative program. There are large numbers of pastors who either directly or indirectly were compensated for getting their flocks to vote Republican and the Organized Christian Church agenda. Yes, alot of red voters should have exercised their frontal lobes, and don't even get me started about the mixing of oligarch money and organized religion. It's like the 14th century catholic church but without the spanish inquisition. Keep an open mind, those that are honestly throwing off the church programming should be welcomed without shaming them.
They will always vote for hate & against the downtrodden if they voted for Trump once - let alone 3xs -
They voted for him because they love the hate - pure & simple they love the disrespect, the toxcity, and the brutality & they can fuck right off - they are not turning on Trump because he is vile - they are turning on him b/c he is vile TO THEM
That no doubt describes SOME of them, the hardcore MAGAts. I do not think it describes them all. The young black and Latino men who voted for Trump because of the economy did not support him because they hate themselves.
Let’s keep our powder dry for now. At some point though there needs to be some verbal ass kicking. Own these fuckers like they think they’ve owned us. Never let them forget what they’ve done to our country.
A reminder that the Trump-regret crowd cannot be counted on to not make the same mistakes in judgement in the future. Just because they have seen the light and regret voting for Donald (in particular) does **NOT** mean they can be trusted to vote intelligently in the future.
Agree with your approach, Bob. If we engage angrily or lecture a MAGA voter who now feels remorse we are just repeating a cycle of perceived rejection. We can support this voter’s decision while not abandoning our support of bringing the #1 orange man and his criminal cronies to justice.
I agree. When they wake up from their moronic slumber, it's important we guide them back to earth one. Most are actually good people. They just lost their way which is pretty easy to do if you get into the wrong algorithm.
There is a reason these people loved Trump's hate - it is b/c they love hate - many of them - not all - but many, are left-behind people - functionally illiterate through no fault of their own - illiteracy is something the GOP engineered years ago through - among other tactics - No Child Left Behind which leaves EVERY child behind - even in 'good' schools our kids do not attain appropriate literacy levels - if you are not literate enough to develop critical analysis skills you literally can't think and the world is overwhelming & Trump trash talking & spewing hate and making immigrants targets for hate validates you somehow
What future is there for your country if these complete fucking morons remain forever ostracized? As much as we hate them for their utter stupidity and wrongheadedness, the country has to heal.
Yea we still have the Confederate Flag flying loud & proud not rendered illegal as it should be - its' existence is a threat and a warning to black people and SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED - that flag represents slavery, brutality and terror and I for one am OVER IT
BobK your response is well reasoned and honestly it is the compassionate response - trying to put the country back together
However EVERYTHING HAPPENING NOW IS THE FAULT OF THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP - & now they are crying remorse - they are unforgiveable - they were warned, begged, not to vote for this man - 34 felony counts of fraud, a sexual assault conviction & the treason of Jan 6th - they tried to overthrow our votes & our duly elected government with violence
Pence had to flee to avoid being hung at Trump's direction, and they had the 2025 Agenda which we warned them about & we are now living AND THEY STILL VOTED FOR HIM B/C THEY LOVED THE HATE
People that did this to our country can't be trusted - I don't want them on my side b/c they can do more harm than good - they loved the hate so much they did this to us and now they can deal with the anger directed at them - no quarter to these people
I hope that all the damage Trump is doing to us falls on them - sorry not sorry some things are unforgiveable
NO ballroom and no $$ to the private MAGA army Trump is trying to build for himself -which is what he is doing with this relief fund - BobK your response is that of a decent human being - we are not dealing with decency here however we are dealing with people trying to destroy our democracy with everything they have in them
Thanks for your thoughts, Dian. I appreciate and understand what you're saying. I just want to also note that I think some out there have misinterpreted my comment as meaning I want to befriend these people, or forgive them, or otherwise accept them into our "big tent". That's far from what I'm advocating. I simply want us to accept the confessions of these people, then turn them around and ask them to please go, tell their MAGA cultist friends to open their eyes, and then go and sin no more. And if they really are repentant, then they should fucking do something about it to help remove every fucking RepubliCON from office and help end this nightmare we ALL unfortunately have to suffer for, not just them.
Yes. The one who shot the woman in the car was transferred and may have retired. His name is known. And also the coward who shot the man in the back while he was laying on the ground. He was prominent in the principal video of his crime. His name has been mentioned also.
Memo to MAGA folks who are (or aren't) beginning to see the light of day:
Remember all those rallies where Trump touted the 'Snake' story?
Remember his enthusiasm as he belted out the punchline . . .
YOU KNEW DARN WELL I WAS A SNAKE BEFORE YOU TOOK ME IN
they believed he was THEIR snake - a tough, smart guy who would selectively trample on and 'disappear' the people and the things they hate. And then deliver prosperity - high wages, low prices, and an ideal 'Christian' country where women are subservient and give birth to many white babies with zero governmental support. Mexico, China and the rest of the world would bend a knee and pay for all of it.
There was a shit tonload of evidence about Trump's snakeyness.
Trump's words couldn't possibly have been any truer.
My MAGA senators will be hearing from me. My congresswoman probably has smoke coming out her ears over this. She's not the world's biggest Donny fan. She sends out emails titled things like "Trump is unfit for office."
Ha ha, good luck with that. There's no Democrat in this district who is that conservative, and no Republican ever gets much more than 20% of the vote. We're a "packed" district in a gerrymandered state, but no amount of
"cracking" could get rid of enough Democrats to flip it. Also, we haven't had a white congressperson since before I even came here for college (1969) and no one who wasn't a Black woman since 1999.
Oh, I agree. I'm fortunate to have a congresswoman who is working for us and not against us. My heart breaks for the fine people over in Oberlin on the other side of the Cleveland metro area who have been gerrymandered into Gymmie Jordan's district. That is probably the most liberal town in Ohio!
Hey, my PRIEST gave an awesome anti-Trump homily at Mass yesterday. I guess the church no longer frowns on political activism since Donny trashed Pope Leo.
Don't see how she can be "MAGA" then. She's got to be one of those rare breeds these days that say "Conservative Republican". Maybe "Sane" should be in front of that!
And we're expected to keep paying federal taxes for this shit? Simpering Scott Bessent thinks this is the best use of our money? Mike Johnson and John Thune don't want to know about it? And where's Schumer, besides killing his party with relentless pleas for donations?
Amen. My respect for him is so low and and so wide it may cause earthquakes to happen in New York from generations of real Democrats whirling in their graves.
I watched Allison Gill last night explain how that $1.8B settlement is probably a lost cause for reasons: you can’t be on both sides of a lawsuit, the statute of limitations has run out and there’s a few others I’m not remembering.
I've read that, too, but assume it to be the reason that he was working with the DOJ (and IRS) to "settle" before the judge could render a decision. For the record, the settlement involves a promise for the IRS to NOT perform their usual post-presidency audit of his company tax returns. Very special boy, indeed!
And then he'll just do it anyway, and Holy Brother Mike Johnson won't have seen/heard/been told anything about it, and all the Republicans in Congress will go on vacation (and figure out how they can get paid some of that cash) to avoid the Democratic legislation against it, and Todd Bleeech will tell the DOJ to investigate anybody who spoke out against it/
I'm not sure the judge will have anything to do with it, since the case before her relates to the issue of a party suing department under their own control. Not sure if she would even have to approve any settlement. (Will have to revisit this - was either Joyce Vance or HCR where I read some of it.)
For better or worse, I had a pilonidal cyst like 5-6 years ago. It was awful. Could barely sit, could barely walk. I had to go to my manager privately and explain what was going on. That was a fun conversation. At the urgent care, I told the doctor, "It's not on Uranus, but you can see it from there." He had it out in 10-15 minutes tops. That was a super-comfy bandage.
It's his $1.776B because he pardoned all those sweaty uneducated morons without receiving his customary "tips" - and besides, who's gonna do anything about it?
That won't matter to DonOld's personal DOJ and Treasury though. He will get what he wants or they better look out for the wrath of MAGA. JC what a shit show.
I have grown weary of the “very special boy” since Inauguration Day 2026. Truth be told, I can’t stand the mf’er— never could! He fucked NJ and many contractors big time.
If we had an independent and functioning DOJ, that would be relevant. But we don’t. There is nothing currently barring Trump from negotiating a settlement, and the dismissal of his lawsuit divests the trial court of jurisdiction to do anything about it.
So where in the federal budget does it have a line item for "Billion-dollar Presidential Slush Fund?" Ditto for Christofascist campaign rally on the mall. Did all the CEOs and ugly Trump relatives travel to China on our dime? Meanwhile, the majority of the public are encouraged to incur massive debt on their credit cards to pay for essentials? Academic pundits can cluck and tsk about a theoretical economic collapse by 2027 but this is really not sustainable.
It’s not unusual for the DOJ to establish a settlement fund benefiting the victims of unlawful acts, if the DOJ goes after a third party and that party decides to settle.
Nobody expected a sitting president to sue his own government. Everything Trump does demonstrates that our guardrails are largely based on the honor system, of which he has none.
And how is it related in any way, shape, or form to the subject matter of the $10B lawsuit? It's not. The MSM should stop conflating the two as if it's a normal thing.
I’ve been following. It is criminal. First, file a frivolous law suit for an insane amount. Then as the defendant, the Chief Executive, agree to “settle” out of court to gain $1.8B in a slush fund one controls? And, nothing from the GOP Congress. Nothing! Egregiously the goes, in part, to seditionists from 1/6/21. Our country has lost its f’g marbles.
I wonder how that actually plays with this base? I can't imagine even MAGAs thinking, "yeah give those guys a million each while I pay 6$/gal for gas".
Fox and OANN and NewsMax are doing their damnedest to downplay all that, but at some point, at least Fox does have a news side.
Can't ignore the prices at the pump, and if you have family in the military, you can't ignore that there's a war on and that the leadership is a little, uh, different than it has been in the past.
Jeff - since you brought up the Christofascist Shitweasels, I became aware of this over the weekend... It more fun and games from those fun, fun boys at the Heritage Foundation. If you liked all the fun and games in Project 2025, you will really love this! It is their recipe for bringing about The New Republic of Gilead:
This is laughable given the countless stories of people's lives ruined by "the man and woman who created them," who gave them the opposite of "affection and protection." And the more insanely religious they were, the less likely it was that they were raised with "affection and protection."
I believe and think the path toward a new Normal leads through a heavily amended Constitution with a sharply delineated SCOTUS, real teeth to be able to charge and convict and automatically remove a sitting POTUS convicted of a felony, and a citizens’ vote of no confidence in a defective Congress with a new election in 45 days.
Great ideas and so necessary. I'm also thinking about us as a society moving forward, how do we relate to each other when we are so far apart on really fundamental issues, like the separation of church and state? Look how easily they've chipped away at the "Wall of Separation". These cultists who have been just fine stomping all over the Constitution, how do we coexist with them? Speaking for myself, I'm really fucking angry and am going to have to find a way to believe in the good of my "neighbor" (literally, my very nice neighbor is a huge Trumper).
I have given that a lot of thought. Both sides in a national divorce would have to pony up to move those unable to afford to move a helping hand. Authoritarians only really make up about 22% of the population so Gilead might only consist of AL, MS, LA and Texas.
Give me my share. I will use it to fix my kitchen backsplash, benefit animal rescues and expand our farm where we grow organic produce for hungry people in the inner city. Sadly, I didn't attack anyone or try to overthrow the government.
Hopefully, lawsuits by EVERY CAPITAL POLICE OFFICER will be filed immediately. This 1.8 billion must be tied up in the courts until Dems control everything. See, this under the table deal does not involve the courts (like most normal settlements), so there is NO LEGAL ENFORCEMENT of the deal.
That article gives the impression that the fund for Trump's cronies is part of the settlement of the lawsuit against the IRS, but I don't think it is. I think once the judge (Kathleen Williams, blessings upon her name) signaled that she was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL that a party who controlled both sides in the dispute had a true "case or controversy" and requested briefing, they realized that it was not going to work out. I think the fund is internal to the DOJ, or possibly the IRS.
I think Donnie is going to take his cut from every settlement that this fund gives to his cronies, just like he probably got his cut from Michael Flynn's settlement.
Call your Senators and tell them to force a roll-call before the first payment. It is against the Constitution. The 14th amendment, section 4 calls such payment ILLEGAL AND VOID!!
DO IT NOW!!! This is YOUR tax money trump is trying to give to the traitors who tried to overturn our government. CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW. It takes 5 to force a vote.
Orange fuck wants to show the country that if you take part in the next Jan 6th, you'll be on deck to get a million dollars, too - in hopes of a larger turnout of psychopath patriotic maiacs to rush the capital, again
The ballroom/bunker makes sense when you view it through this lens. He always doubles down, and this time he is looking to fill in the gaps where his last coup didn't quite get him where he wanted it to go.
The former Trump enthusiast who called C-SPAN must have missed the chapter about all the Chapter Elevens. Just because he regrets voting for Trump doesn't mean he would ever vote for a Democrat, much less a woman of color, you kiddin? Fuck these idiots. We all feel the damage MAGA has caused and they'll feel the benefit when we fix it. Fuck them. I've had it. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
It’s worth giving a listen to the entire clip Jeff posted. At the end, the caller does say he thinks the only solution is to vote for Democrats, and encourages others to do the same.
OK, I'll give that dummy a pass but my feelings for MAGA in general - stet. In the words of the country song, Jesus may love you but I don't. God will forgive you but I won't.
And I would LOVE to see Bill Cassidy, in addition to saying not trump, that all his followers SHOULD vote for dems. Wouldn't that be the cats meow! He has a perfect opportunity and could tell his folks, JUST THIS ONE TIME. We have to get America BACK from the magats!
I’m weird. The soundtrack to 1776 was one of my favorites when I was in junior high. I was probably the only Yankee teenager living in Culpeper, VA belting out the lyrics of Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve and the Triangle Trade. I remember tearing up to Momma, Look Sharp. I really liked William Daniels…a perfect John Adams. It wasn’t perfectly historically accurate, but it did the job. Now I’m going to have watch it today!
Get a copy of the published play. It has an essay about what's based on fact and where they took dramatic liberties. It's amazing how much of it IS true. As someone who has lived in Massachusetts for almost 50 years now I always laugh at the line, "Not everyone's from Boston, John."
We did "1776" at UAkron when I was there (I was on stage crew). My husband played the Courier ("Mama, Look Sharp") at Ohio Northern....in both cases, right around the time of the Bicentennial.
In both of our cases, yes, we were all required to read that piece, so we could ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND the FACTUAL timeline, but, more importantly, the URGENCY & BRAVERY of those who lived it.
I'll be celebrating legacy of my ancestor, Dr Josiah Bartlett of NH - the first person, after Hancock, to sign The Declaration of Independance, & framer of The Constitution (aka, by THIS "administration, as *#Bumblefuck's Toilet Paper*).
It was my 20th birthday and I was in Germany. A billboard read "Amerika, wie du uns gewechselt hast!" (America, how you have changed us!) The headline in the Munchner Merkur (which I called the Munchkin Mercury) was BRAVO ISRAEL! celebrating the rescue of the passengers on an airline that Palestinians hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda-- I imagined Hitler rolling in his grave that Bavaria was celebrating the Jews. That night, I went to the Hofbrauhaus, usually a tourist trap, but that night all the locals were there, and my money was no good. At some signal, people began tapping their steins with spoons to call for silence, and they sang the Star Spangled Banner. Then, being German, they sang the second verse, which Americans don't know-- and then, being German, they sang the third verse, whose very existence I had not suspected. They must have been rehearsing for weeks.
One of my best friends, Karin, was a child of Nazi Germany. She lost an aunt & uncle to the ovens (not Jewish....but caught providing falsified papers for Jewish families so they could escape the country). After marrying her American soldier in the late '60s, she became an American citizen in the early '70s.
While still in school, after WWII, the children were ALL TAUGHT about how THIS MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, & that countries LIKE THE US would ALWAYS be counted on to PROTECT the world from that eventuality. She was PROUD to be a Naturalized American Citizen*.
She hasn't felt that pride since 2016.
(*Interesting to note here that, in order to PASS THE TEST for US citizenship, you have to STUDY & UNDERSTAND THE CONSTITUTION - the document that #Bumblefuck & his Merry Band of Fascist Douchenozzles WIPE THEIR ASSES W/ EVERY DAY. That's right - IMMIGRANTS are REQUIRED to understand this shit BETTER THAN OUR CURRENT "GOVERNMENT" PRETENDS TO. 😶)
Chris, I fear the point of no return by that time. His billionaire buddies continue to hoard money and he won’t stop building monuments to himself! Apparently our military will comply with illegal orders.
Well that's always a risk; they are certainly not governing like they are worried about losing the white house.
The real test will be how a new democratic president handles everything going forward. There must be prosecutions. Every stone of every monument must be torn down. People like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel must be stripped of their security clearances and forced out of their companies - THEN deported. The billionaires born here, like Bezos, must be stripped of and security clearances and forced to sell any stocks that give them control over any companies they own.
Chris, same here. And I resent not being able to celebrate this momentous year! These fuckers take everything away from us. I might have a Hope-it’s-a-painful-prison-stay or death Party.
Well Jeff, it looks as if we had a revival on the Mall paid for by who? A preacher at the event said it was gods plan to build the Epstein Pedo Dance Hall. Couple that revival with those 2 gold painted statues of Donald, another preacher blessing it while the attendees pray to it, and the preachers feels compelled to say “it’s not a golden calf” I challenge anyone to say that folks have started a new religion… Church of Trump… Best to all fellow travelers.
it's a golden statue- the calf part isn't the real problem.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image [Pesel (פֶּסֶל)] nor any likeness [Temunah (תְּמוּנָה)] of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath"
-Exodus 20:4.
but do they 'worship' it?
turns out it might not matter:
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" — Exodus 20:5
"Bow down" — Shachah (שָׁחָה)
"Serve" — Abad (עָבַד)
people then and now bow down and serve all the time without ascribing Divinity to those they are bowing down to and serving, but:
Qanna (קַנָּא).
So it's a jealous God, reframing the relationship in a matrimonial framework rather than a patriarchal one. At this point God wasn't claiming to be the only all-powerful but he was their God and they was his people both chosen and choosing, more of a fidelity or loyalty thing.
they maybe may be metaphorically bowing down and serving, but it's only bad if it makes God jealous, so I guess someone who sees Trump as a manifestation of God might not see a problem, whereas those who realize that he is not...
“I don’t know whether to congratulate this guy for finally coming to his senses, or to be super pissed off at him for being a fucking idiot who voted for fascism three times.” Obligatory why not both?
How prescient was Margaret Attwood? The Handmaid's Tale has landed, long predicted. But I honestly believe that more Americans are wise to this than the blinkered buffoons who follow their chief buffoon into fresh hells of poverty, no health care and concentration camps. The Revolution will happen. It has to.
Claudia really was such a beautiful woman....the bench is a priceless tribute. ❤️
"the entire population of Iran just rolled its eyes so hard in unison that it almost threw the Earth off its axis." 😂😂😂 Seriously, he's near death, right? Please tell me he's near death.
How much more must we endure... I honestly believe that if they screw around with the midterms, there will be violence. Who talked him out of the ludicrous lawsuit? 🤔
His cabal can perpetuate his presence forever using AI generated video from past clips. Just like the gigantic, pervasive images of Big Brother in 1984.
The same grifters who organized January 6 put on taxpayer-funded Jesuscon to celebrate America. Our April 15 money spent on a nine-figure no-bid tithe to the same ghouls who monetized the original riot, except this time the star can’t even be bothered to record a fresh blasphemy for 100-million-dollar altar where the zombie-eyed faithful sacrifice whatever’s left of shame.
And this time Trump is not just phoning in his fake Christianity, he’s butt-dialing it from the golf cart by reusing last month’s AI-slop Bible promo like Ron Popiel at 3AM.
And they DON'T NOTICE. They DON'T CARE. 70% of Republicans seem to be FINE with this.
Well, the idiot who called c-span to say he voted for Trump three times. I do not want to hear his excuse and not going to get sympathy from me. The people who voted for him three times. F-off!
Well, I give credit to anyone who can publicly admit they were wrong…Yeah, he should’ve known, but hey, we have all made bad choices at one time or another..
Indeed we all have made bad choices in the past and will make bad choices again but, speaking for myself only, my bad choices did NOT make America a country that international tourists are warned away from - my bad choices did not destroy the our democracy, did not take voting rights from a large population of American citizens, did not bomb a girls school b/c I thought a war would make me more popular, did not commit insider trading and graft from the highest position in our land - did not cost our country our role as leader of the free world, did not alienate our allies to the point where they are no longer our allies - my bad choices did not render thousands, if not millions, of children hungry and kick millions off health insurance. my bad choices did not make American lfe impossible when is used to just be hard; my bad choices did not bring back dangerous illnesses we eradicated decades ago and my bad choices did not put a Gestapo presence in what was a democratic country complete with unsafe prisons - did not tear down part of the White House and then demand $1B from ME AND YOU - I could go on
I don't believe anyone voted for this outcome. They voted for all the things Trump promised. The real a-holes are the republicans (and some democrats) in office that are allowing him to do this. They are supposed to stop him, or guide him. Personally, I have never trusted Trump. Once a liar and cheater, always a liar and cheater. I don't know why anyone expected him to be presidential.
My Senator, Elissa Slotkin, who belatedly has tried to redeem herself by for example appearing with Mark Kelley in that video about illegal orders, voted for many of the Cabinet picks and other dubious nominations (Rubio, Burgum, Bessent, etc.). I sent her blistering emails saying that when I donated to her campaign and voted for her it was not so that she would be a Nazi collaborator. Her staff said she would get back to me. She never did except to ask for money.
They just wanted the racism, not all the rest of it. And I don't believe that any of them were unaware that Trump was a pathological liar. I could have told anybody in 1980 that he was a blowhard conman, he was that notorious from his first emergence into the public eye.
Not where we were partly responsible for putting a fucking criminal in office with all the other criminals. I sure as hell haven’t made a mistake that bad.
I have skills: I once hit a skunk--threatening to spray me for no good reason--with a (small) rock directly in its ass. The skunk chose a quick exit into the woods. I see a direct correlation with this administration and I just need the rocks.
Trump is a two bit Queens hustler in the twilight of his long career conning the most gullible people on earth. MAGA will end up on the ash heap of history, and it can’t happen soon enough!
Thank GOD the debacle on the mall was so poorly attended. I live here and it wasn’t clear from reading the WaPo. And thank YOU for making me LOL at the insanity of this event and DJT’s part in it. Maybe the red hats are catching on. It’s late in the game, but ok.
I started laughing so hard at “godbothering fucknuggets” that I couldn’t read. That just begs for a Terry Gilliam animation. I can see it my head - A Magnificent Majestic Old Testament God raining hellfire down on the fucknuggets at his feet. Someone clever person do that for us. Please? But when I could finish reading it was great and I love the bench for Claudia
today in Shit That Happened While I Was Busy Writing This Shit—
"Trump drops lawsuit against IRS amid talks of establishing a $1.8 billion fund for allies"
https://krdo.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/05/18/trump-drops-lawsuit-against-irs-amid-talks-of-establishing-a-1-8-billion-fund-for-allies/
just more corrupt bullshit. Donny wants to give 1.8 billion taxpayer dollars to all the shitweasels who got nailed for planning and doing Jan 6.
fuck these fucking fucks
That is over $1M each to those seditious asswipes! Fuck that.
Also, fuck that caller on C-Span. Jan 6 happened after he had voted for Donny twice, and the idiot voted for him again in 2024. Yeah, fuck that guy. HARD!
Brad, I share your anger. But please allow me to add more to this in the hopes of helping to turn things around. This MAGA guy, and there are others like him out there, could be an indicator of the cult fever-dream breaking. If that is in fact what is happening, it might be much worth our while to engage such people not with our anger but with our requests that they make amends by joining the fight. This guy was in a way doing exactly that, by making the effort to get on C-SPAN and providing some "social proof" to others of his ilk that it's fucking OK to now reject this insane MF that they elected twice. Let's tell guys like this to tell their MAGA cult buddies to fucking snap out of it.
For everyone still addicted to the kool-aid, we can hope more are beginning their withdrawals.
I am finding it very hard to 'forgive' their efforts to fuck us all. I guess they're lucky I can't do any smiting.
BD52, those who voted for t***p deserve no quarter. They all got it comin'.
I feel ya. I just can't overlook all the times I have fucked up, or fucked someone over, in my 74 years. Guess I have some hope of 'salvation'.
Yeah, but did you remarry your abusive spouse three times? No, probably not. I'm offering you absolution for your small sins. Voting for Trump three times deserves a smite.
when you fucked up did you ALSO fuck up the entire country?
Did you tear down a critical wing of the White House? Did you send ICE terrorists after we the people? Did you alienate our country's long standing well developed and protected ally relationships? Did you cost the country our robust tourist trade? Did you cost us our former position as leader of the free world? - did you bomb a girls' school - not once but 3Xs? killing everyone?
did you take away critical SNAP benefits leaving children hungry in the wealthiest country in the world?
I could go on but I am pretty sure your fuck ups did NONE of these things - Trump is pure evil and those who voted for him DID THIS TO US
I agree. Such people caused lot of damage, but I still think we should avoid being vindictive towards those who truly have reformed. People of multiple backgrounds and histories live in the US. How will we understand each other if we wall ourselves into a corner? Some people grow up in small communities that may or may not include reasonable and valid exposures to other opinions. Social media doesn't always substitute well for live interactions and exchanges. Through live interactions, we can better determine who is sincere, and who is not.
yea no this is way way way too serious
Blind rage prevents me from going down that path. We neither need nor want their bullshit.
But we do need and want their votes.
Do we really though? My take is every election is a base election, and Democrats need to lean into the base, and not try to appeal to a bunch a racist misogynistic cretins who are never going to vote for a Democrat no matter what they say.
Nor will those people vote for a woman or, God forbid, a highly qualified and intelligent gay man.
Thinking it's a "base election" is a recipe for disaster. I agree Democrats should not water down their views in a vain appeal to Republicans, but there is a way to promote Democratic issues that will appeal to independents and some Republicans instead of smugly declaring we only need the base. Ceding the middle to the other side is why we lose.
With the Republicans cheating using the gerrymandering, we need all the independents and as many Republicans as we can get.
I believe that even if these shitweasels regret their vote for trump, they will still turn around and vote for republicans because they're dyed in the wool republicans who will do whatever it takes to block a democrat.
Just because they regret voting for Donald Trump does NOT mean they have magically become liberals or even moderate Democrats. I would venture to say they will still vote for politicians who espouse MAGA values. Anything else is too much to ask at this early stage of their "conversion."
If they found Donald an appealing "leader," I don't trust their value system.
They may just decide not to vote at all.
All of us on the blue side of the fence should keep in mind, for big sects of voters in the mid west, it wasn't just Dump that brain washed them to buy into ultra-conservative program. There are large numbers of pastors who either directly or indirectly were compensated for getting their flocks to vote Republican and the Organized Christian Church agenda. Yes, alot of red voters should have exercised their frontal lobes, and don't even get me started about the mixing of oligarch money and organized religion. It's like the 14th century catholic church but without the spanish inquisition. Keep an open mind, those that are honestly throwing off the church programming should be welcomed without shaming them.
It's why I welcome the voters who have realized they've been had but won't forgive the public officials who have aided and abetted Trump.
these people will NEVER vote the right way NEVER
They will always vote for hate & against the downtrodden if they voted for Trump once - let alone 3xs -
They voted for him because they love the hate - pure & simple they love the disrespect, the toxcity, and the brutality & they can fuck right off - they are not turning on Trump because he is vile - they are turning on him b/c he is vile TO THEM
That no doubt describes SOME of them, the hardcore MAGAts. I do not think it describes them all. The young black and Latino men who voted for Trump because of the economy did not support him because they hate themselves.
The thing is we do need some of their votes or we need them to stay home..
The cult members are far more likely to stay home than to vote for a Democrat. Either one helps.
Let’s keep our powder dry for now. At some point though there needs to be some verbal ass kicking. Own these fuckers like they think they’ve owned us. Never let them forget what they’ve done to our country.
Yep
A reminder that the Trump-regret crowd cannot be counted on to not make the same mistakes in judgement in the future. Just because they have seen the light and regret voting for Donald (in particular) does **NOT** mean they can be trusted to vote intelligently in the future.
Agree with your approach, Bob. If we engage angrily or lecture a MAGA voter who now feels remorse we are just repeating a cycle of perceived rejection. We can support this voter’s decision while not abandoning our support of bringing the #1 orange man and his criminal cronies to justice.
I agree. When they wake up from their moronic slumber, it's important we guide them back to earth one. Most are actually good people. They just lost their way which is pretty easy to do if you get into the wrong algorithm.
There is a reason these people loved Trump's hate - it is b/c they love hate - many of them - not all - but many, are left-behind people - functionally illiterate through no fault of their own - illiteracy is something the GOP engineered years ago through - among other tactics - No Child Left Behind which leaves EVERY child behind - even in 'good' schools our kids do not attain appropriate literacy levels - if you are not literate enough to develop critical analysis skills you literally can't think and the world is overwhelming & Trump trash talking & spewing hate and making immigrants targets for hate validates you somehow
Keep going. 🔥
What future is there for your country if these complete fucking morons remain forever ostracized? As much as we hate them for their utter stupidity and wrongheadedness, the country has to heal.
Healing cannot begin until the abuse stops. The abuse will not stop unless we hold all of them accountable for the damage they caused.
The perpetrators? Absolutely. The voters are who I'm talking about. Can't hold them accountable.
The voters are the perpetrators.
That’s what they said after the civil war. And look where that got us Andrew.
Yea we still have the Confederate Flag flying loud & proud not rendered illegal as it should be - its' existence is a threat and a warning to black people and SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED - that flag represents slavery, brutality and terror and I for one am OVER IT
I agree
BobK your response is well reasoned and honestly it is the compassionate response - trying to put the country back together
However EVERYTHING HAPPENING NOW IS THE FAULT OF THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP - & now they are crying remorse - they are unforgiveable - they were warned, begged, not to vote for this man - 34 felony counts of fraud, a sexual assault conviction & the treason of Jan 6th - they tried to overthrow our votes & our duly elected government with violence
Pence had to flee to avoid being hung at Trump's direction, and they had the 2025 Agenda which we warned them about & we are now living AND THEY STILL VOTED FOR HIM B/C THEY LOVED THE HATE
People that did this to our country can't be trusted - I don't want them on my side b/c they can do more harm than good - they loved the hate so much they did this to us and now they can deal with the anger directed at them - no quarter to these people
I hope that all the damage Trump is doing to us falls on them - sorry not sorry some things are unforgiveable
NO ballroom and no $$ to the private MAGA army Trump is trying to build for himself -which is what he is doing with this relief fund - BobK your response is that of a decent human being - we are not dealing with decency here however we are dealing with people trying to destroy our democracy with everything they have in them
Thanks for your thoughts, Dian. I appreciate and understand what you're saying. I just want to also note that I think some out there have misinterpreted my comment as meaning I want to befriend these people, or forgive them, or otherwise accept them into our "big tent". That's far from what I'm advocating. I simply want us to accept the confessions of these people, then turn them around and ask them to please go, tell their MAGA cultist friends to open their eyes, and then go and sin no more. And if they really are repentant, then they should fucking do something about it to help remove every fucking RepubliCON from office and help end this nightmare we ALL unfortunately have to suffer for, not just them.
Meanwhile people who were shot by the ICE goons while peacefully protesting are labeled "domestic terrorists".
Shouldn’t at least two civil suits against the two murdering ICE agents have been filed by now?
What is taking the survivors so long! Get after them!
Have the names of the murders even been released? I have not heard them.
Yes. The one who shot the woman in the car was transferred and may have retired. His name is known. And also the coward who shot the man in the back while he was laying on the ground. He was prominent in the principal video of his crime. His name has been mentioned also.
yep....FAFO to this moron
Memo to MAGA folks who are (or aren't) beginning to see the light of day:
Remember all those rallies where Trump touted the 'Snake' story?
Remember his enthusiasm as he belted out the punchline . . .
YOU KNEW DARN WELL I WAS A SNAKE BEFORE YOU TOOK ME IN
they believed he was THEIR snake - a tough, smart guy who would selectively trample on and 'disappear' the people and the things they hate. And then deliver prosperity - high wages, low prices, and an ideal 'Christian' country where women are subservient and give birth to many white babies with zero governmental support. Mexico, China and the rest of the world would bend a knee and pay for all of it.
There was a shit tonload of evidence about Trump's snakeyness.
Trump's words couldn't possibly have been any truer.
Excellent!
Good eye Brad!
Check out "Glass Empires". For suggestions how to fight back.
I think that caller sounded fake.
So, my pathetically maga congresswoman will be hearing from me yet again. This is theft of public resources to pay off cronies.
My MAGA senators will be hearing from me. My congresswoman probably has smoke coming out her ears over this. She's not the world's biggest Donny fan. She sends out emails titled things like "Trump is unfit for office."
Watch him try to primary her
Ha ha, good luck with that. There's no Democrat in this district who is that conservative, and no Republican ever gets much more than 20% of the vote. We're a "packed" district in a gerrymandered state, but no amount of
"cracking" could get rid of enough Democrats to flip it. Also, we haven't had a white congressperson since before I even came here for college (1969) and no one who wasn't a Black woman since 1999.
I wanna say you're lucky. I'm in magat-land with no hope of relief.
Oh, I agree. I'm fortunate to have a congresswoman who is working for us and not against us. My heart breaks for the fine people over in Oberlin on the other side of the Cleveland metro area who have been gerrymandered into Gymmie Jordan's district. That is probably the most liberal town in Ohio!
My condolences. While i live in a blue state there are still enough maga morons e.g. Boebert to put a stain on it.
Hey, my PRIEST gave an awesome anti-Trump homily at Mass yesterday. I guess the church no longer frowns on political activism since Donny trashed Pope Leo.
Don't see how she can be "MAGA" then. She's got to be one of those rare breeds these days that say "Conservative Republican". Maybe "Sane" should be in front of that!
And we're expected to keep paying federal taxes for this shit? Simpering Scott Bessent thinks this is the best use of our money? Mike Johnson and John Thune don't want to know about it? And where's Schumer, besides killing his party with relentless pleas for donations?
Amen. My respect for him is so low and and so wide it may cause earthquakes to happen in New York from generations of real Democrats whirling in their graves.
To pay off seditious criminal cronies, you mean.
Same. Just left yet another “what’s your take” question
Touché Kim!
So, we're picking up the tab for a private party we're not invited to and where we would not be welcome.
Lovely to see the Claudia Bench.
Beautiful bench! And I love that your Katie wore red for her wedding! 😍
"I came to this christofascist hypocrisy fest and all I got was a third degree sunburn."
…but I did get the 6’ covid-era distancing… 😜
NAT C fest....
Clever, indeed.
Thank you. Am trying to make it 'a thang(sp.)'.
Beautiful Claudia Bench
Ithink the bench is
We’re rededicating something that has never been dedicated. I mean actually, what the fuck
I watched Allison Gill last night explain how that $1.8B settlement is probably a lost cause for reasons: you can’t be on both sides of a lawsuit, the statute of limitations has run out and there’s a few others I’m not remembering.
I've read that, too, but assume it to be the reason that he was working with the DOJ (and IRS) to "settle" before the judge could render a decision. For the record, the settlement involves a promise for the IRS to NOT perform their usual post-presidency audit of his company tax returns. Very special boy, indeed!
FUCK NOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Every. Single. Damn. Day.
I suspect the judge will toss this and Frump will appeal it.
And then he'll just do it anyway, and Holy Brother Mike Johnson won't have seen/heard/been told anything about it, and all the Republicans in Congress will go on vacation (and figure out how they can get paid some of that cash) to avoid the Democratic legislation against it, and Todd Bleeech will tell the DOJ to investigate anybody who spoke out against it/
Joyce, you’ve got the cycle down pat! (And it’s not the virtuous one)☠️
I'm not sure the judge will have anything to do with it, since the case before her relates to the issue of a party suing department under their own control. Not sure if she would even have to approve any settlement. (Will have to revisit this - was either Joyce Vance or HCR where I read some of it.)
She would have to approve a settlement if we still lived under a rule-of-law society. But since the law no longer matters...
The judge already rendered his decision: lawsuit dismissed with prejudice.
This is not a "settlement": a settlement needs to be approved by a judge.
It is an act of theft, purely.
Assume the money is going into the pockets of America's Pilonidal Cyst. Remember...ABG...Always Be Grifting!
For better or worse, I had a pilonidal cyst like 5-6 years ago. It was awful. Could barely sit, could barely walk. I had to go to my manager privately and explain what was going on. That was a fun conversation. At the urgent care, I told the doctor, "It's not on Uranus, but you can see it from there." He had it out in 10-15 minutes tops. That was a super-comfy bandage.
Damn. Could he make a house call to excise the one in the White House?
The hey just turn the other cheek, :-)
And kiss his other (ass)cheek
Sean, You have a way with words and it's thanks to you that i learned what a pilonidal cyst is. Now i may have to steal ABG too.....
It's his $1.776B because he pardoned all those sweaty uneducated morons without receiving his customary "tips" - and besides, who's gonna do anything about it?
That won't matter to DonOld's personal DOJ and Treasury though. He will get what he wants or they better look out for the wrath of MAGA. JC what a shit show.
Oh, limitations? Conflict of interest? Not in Trump's DOJ.
Statute of limitations is the amount of time one has to file a lawsuit. That time has passed
I know the concept. I'm just being snarky because the DOJ has broken so many rules/laws.
Apologies, I am a former legal researcher, it’s a bad habit.
That's ok. I appreciate you taking the time to inform me. I should have added a /s.
Will that even matter? We all know that Donnie is a very special boy.
I have grown weary of the “very special boy” since Inauguration Day 2026. Truth be told, I can’t stand the mf’er— never could! He fucked NJ and many contractors big time.
2025?
If we had an independent and functioning DOJ, that would be relevant. But we don’t. There is nothing currently barring Trump from negotiating a settlement, and the dismissal of his lawsuit divests the trial court of jurisdiction to do anything about it.
So where in the federal budget does it have a line item for "Billion-dollar Presidential Slush Fund?" Ditto for Christofascist campaign rally on the mall. Did all the CEOs and ugly Trump relatives travel to China on our dime? Meanwhile, the majority of the public are encouraged to incur massive debt on their credit cards to pay for essentials? Academic pundits can cluck and tsk about a theoretical economic collapse by 2027 but this is really not sustainable.
It’s not unusual for the DOJ to establish a settlement fund benefiting the victims of unlawful acts, if the DOJ goes after a third party and that party decides to settle.
Nobody expected a sitting president to sue his own government. Everything Trump does demonstrates that our guardrails are largely based on the honor system, of which he has none.
I think the courts can or else why would he have filed a lawsuit in the first place?
ETA: never mind that was the 10B lawsuit
And how is it related in any way, shape, or form to the subject matter of the $10B lawsuit? It's not. The MSM should stop conflating the two as if it's a normal thing.
Ditto Kay!
Tailor-made distraction material however
I’ve been following. It is criminal. First, file a frivolous law suit for an insane amount. Then as the defendant, the Chief Executive, agree to “settle” out of court to gain $1.8B in a slush fund one controls? And, nothing from the GOP Congress. Nothing! Egregiously the goes, in part, to seditionists from 1/6/21. Our country has lost its f’g marbles.
I wonder how that actually plays with this base? I can't imagine even MAGAs thinking, "yeah give those guys a million each while I pay 6$/gal for gas".
Methinks that the $1.8B slush fund will never find its way into the Confederates' pockets but will instead remain in T💩p's.
100% it will. Anything else would be a aberration for him
It's prepayment for a J6 repeat if things don't go his way in 2026 or 2028.
THIS^^^^^
Of course it goes directly to Trump. The ragtag pillagers will never see a dime.
Fox and OANN and NewsMax are doing their damnedest to downplay all that, but at some point, at least Fox does have a news side.
Can't ignore the prices at the pump, and if you have family in the military, you can't ignore that there's a war on and that the leadership is a little, uh, different than it has been in the past.
Plus, Iranian leadership is being heavily advised by Russian and Chinese military experts while Trump is being advised by .... Netanyahu?
I'm waiting for Iran to call for "regime change" in the US because a low IQ lunatic cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.
"Duh, gas is more 'spensive and eggs is too but it's Biden's fault. Trump 2028!"
Hate to like this but I did
Fox will never report it so the Maggats will never learn of this particular grift.
Jeff - since you brought up the Christofascist Shitweasels, I became aware of this over the weekend... It more fun and games from those fun, fun boys at the Heritage Foundation. If you liked all the fun and games in Project 2025, you will really love this! It is their recipe for bringing about The New Republic of Gilead:
https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/saving-america-saving-the-family-foundation-the-next-250-years
Terrifying, given how fast they've implemented project 2025.
Thankfully, I’m past childbearing age.
ditto.
This is laughable given the countless stories of people's lives ruined by "the man and woman who created them," who gave them the opposite of "affection and protection." And the more insanely religious they were, the less likely it was that they were raised with "affection and protection."
Marching right through the 7 mountain mandate. These people are scary as fuck. How do we ever get back to a place that resembles normalcy?
I believe and think the path toward a new Normal leads through a heavily amended Constitution with a sharply delineated SCOTUS, real teeth to be able to charge and convict and automatically remove a sitting POTUS convicted of a felony, and a citizens’ vote of no confidence in a defective Congress with a new election in 45 days.
Great ideas and so necessary. I'm also thinking about us as a society moving forward, how do we relate to each other when we are so far apart on really fundamental issues, like the separation of church and state? Look how easily they've chipped away at the "Wall of Separation". These cultists who have been just fine stomping all over the Constitution, how do we coexist with them? Speaking for myself, I'm really fucking angry and am going to have to find a way to believe in the good of my "neighbor" (literally, my very nice neighbor is a huge Trumper).
See my reply to Zuzu.
So what they're saying is they want a lot more men to start mysteriously falling down stairs.
Perhaps! I am coming to think we might need to maneuver the Authoritarians into seceding again and this time let them go.
The problem with that is that the majority of the Black population lives in the South. And they aren't the problem.
I have given that a lot of thought. Both sides in a national divorce would have to pony up to move those unable to afford to move a helping hand. Authoritarians only really make up about 22% of the population so Gilead might only consist of AL, MS, LA and Texas.
🤮
YIKES!
Give me my share. I will use it to fix my kitchen backsplash, benefit animal rescues and expand our farm where we grow organic produce for hungry people in the inner city. Sadly, I didn't attack anyone or try to overthrow the government.
He wants to pay them for services rendered and he expects them to have his back AGAIN
Hopefully, lawsuits by EVERY CAPITAL POLICE OFFICER will be filed immediately. This 1.8 billion must be tied up in the courts until Dems control everything. See, this under the table deal does not involve the courts (like most normal settlements), so there is NO LEGAL ENFORCEMENT of the deal.
That article gives the impression that the fund for Trump's cronies is part of the settlement of the lawsuit against the IRS, but I don't think it is. I think once the judge (Kathleen Williams, blessings upon her name) signaled that she was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL that a party who controlled both sides in the dispute had a true "case or controversy" and requested briefing, they realized that it was not going to work out. I think the fund is internal to the DOJ, or possibly the IRS.
I think Donnie is going to take his cut from every settlement that this fund gives to his cronies, just like he probably got his cut from Michael Flynn's settlement.
When you represent the unreconstructed, they let you do it!
Those "allies" won't see Dime One
Call your Senators and tell them to force a roll-call before the first payment. It is against the Constitution. The 14th amendment, section 4 calls such payment ILLEGAL AND VOID!!
DO IT NOW!!! This is YOUR tax money trump is trying to give to the traitors who tried to overturn our government. CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW. It takes 5 to force a vote.
Orange fuck wants to show the country that if you take part in the next Jan 6th, you'll be on deck to get a million dollars, too - in hopes of a larger turnout of psychopath patriotic maiacs to rush the capital, again
The ballroom/bunker makes sense when you view it through this lens. He always doubles down, and this time he is looking to fill in the gaps where his last coup didn't quite get him where he wanted it to go.
Dammit, where’s the f-ing anger emoji when I need it?? Get with it, Substack. I need to express myself.
The former Trump enthusiast who called C-SPAN must have missed the chapter about all the Chapter Elevens. Just because he regrets voting for Trump doesn't mean he would ever vote for a Democrat, much less a woman of color, you kiddin? Fuck these idiots. We all feel the damage MAGA has caused and they'll feel the benefit when we fix it. Fuck them. I've had it. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
It’s worth giving a listen to the entire clip Jeff posted. At the end, the caller does say he thinks the only solution is to vote for Democrats, and encourages others to do the same.
OK, I'll give that dummy a pass but my feelings for MAGA in general - stet. In the words of the country song, Jesus may love you but I don't. God will forgive you but I won't.
Or “How can I love you when you won’t go away” - Dann Hicks and his Hot Licks
That's a good one!
How can I *miss you when you won't go away
And I would LOVE to see Bill Cassidy, in addition to saying not trump, that all his followers SHOULD vote for dems. Wouldn't that be the cats meow! He has a perfect opportunity and could tell his folks, JUST THIS ONE TIME. We have to get America BACK from the magats!
while he is saying all that on C-SPAN he is scratching his own ass.
Yeah, I've given up on celebrating the 4th of July for foreseeable future.
Same here. What's to celebrate?
Every year we watch the movie 1776 with William Daniels, have a cocktail or two, and make believe all things are possible. again.
I’m weird. The soundtrack to 1776 was one of my favorites when I was in junior high. I was probably the only Yankee teenager living in Culpeper, VA belting out the lyrics of Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve and the Triangle Trade. I remember tearing up to Momma, Look Sharp. I really liked William Daniels…a perfect John Adams. It wasn’t perfectly historically accurate, but it did the job. Now I’m going to have watch it today!
Get a copy of the published play. It has an essay about what's based on fact and where they took dramatic liberties. It's amazing how much of it IS true. As someone who has lived in Massachusetts for almost 50 years now I always laugh at the line, "Not everyone's from Boston, John."
We did "1776" at UAkron when I was there (I was on stage crew). My husband played the Courier ("Mama, Look Sharp") at Ohio Northern....in both cases, right around the time of the Bicentennial.
In both of our cases, yes, we were all required to read that piece, so we could ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND the FACTUAL timeline, but, more importantly, the URGENCY & BRAVERY of those who lived it.
Salt peter....John!!!
It's going to be "celebration of my cousin Evelyn's birthday" for the foreseeable future for me.
I'll be celebrating legacy of my ancestor, Dr Josiah Bartlett of NH - the first person, after Hancock, to sign The Declaration of Independance, & framer of The Constitution (aka, by THIS "administration, as *#Bumblefuck's Toilet Paper*).
My brother's birthday:-)
Only the excellent fireworks/ music/cannon display on the capitol steps per usual Susan.
The clusterfuck train ride home is another story…
July 4th is my birthday. I'll be 70. It will be glum day for me, unlike some bdays past.
Try and have a good birthday; don't let them take anymore joy than they already have.
I shall pretend the fireworks are for you.
I was four when I figured out it was not all about me.
Donnie is still working on that concept nearly 80 years later.
They really dropped the ball on the celebrations this year. The Bicentennial was fire.
It was my 20th birthday and I was in Germany. A billboard read "Amerika, wie du uns gewechselt hast!" (America, how you have changed us!) The headline in the Munchner Merkur (which I called the Munchkin Mercury) was BRAVO ISRAEL! celebrating the rescue of the passengers on an airline that Palestinians hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda-- I imagined Hitler rolling in his grave that Bavaria was celebrating the Jews. That night, I went to the Hofbrauhaus, usually a tourist trap, but that night all the locals were there, and my money was no good. At some signal, people began tapping their steins with spoons to call for silence, and they sang the Star Spangled Banner. Then, being German, they sang the second verse, which Americans don't know-- and then, being German, they sang the third verse, whose very existence I had not suspected. They must have been rehearsing for weeks.
What a great experience and memory to have. I doubt the Germans (or anyone else) will be celebrating America’s birthday this time around.
ETTD
One of my best friends, Karin, was a child of Nazi Germany. She lost an aunt & uncle to the ovens (not Jewish....but caught providing falsified papers for Jewish families so they could escape the country). After marrying her American soldier in the late '60s, she became an American citizen in the early '70s.
While still in school, after WWII, the children were ALL TAUGHT about how THIS MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, & that countries LIKE THE US would ALWAYS be counted on to PROTECT the world from that eventuality. She was PROUD to be a Naturalized American Citizen*.
She hasn't felt that pride since 2016.
(*Interesting to note here that, in order to PASS THE TEST for US citizenship, you have to STUDY & UNDERSTAND THE CONSTITUTION - the document that #Bumblefuck & his Merry Band of Fascist Douchenozzles WIPE THEIR ASSES W/ EVERY DAY. That's right - IMMIGRANTS are REQUIRED to understand this shit BETTER THAN OUR CURRENT "GOVERNMENT" PRETENDS TO. 😶)
Don’t let the bastards get you down!
It's my country too and if I want to celebrate with beer and drone shows and sparkly red white and blue decals on my face, by god I will!!
repugs think they're the only patriotic citizens . I really am sick of their shit. Fuck them!!!
Exactly--it's MY flag and MY Constitution and MY country and I WANT THEM ALL BACK NOW........
....Erm........Ahem. I'm a tad peeved.
So am I, for certain values of "a tad"
I think they know what hypocrites they are and do not care.
That's fine, you do you.
Ditto.
Chris, I fear the point of no return by that time. His billionaire buddies continue to hoard money and he won’t stop building monuments to himself! Apparently our military will comply with illegal orders.
Well that's always a risk; they are certainly not governing like they are worried about losing the white house.
The real test will be how a new democratic president handles everything going forward. There must be prosecutions. Every stone of every monument must be torn down. People like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel must be stripped of their security clearances and forced out of their companies - THEN deported. The billionaires born here, like Bezos, must be stripped of and security clearances and forced to sell any stocks that give them control over any companies they own.
Bringing to justice these traitors, Christo-fascist criminals is a lot more important than hating the MAGAs and stewing over their votes for t-rump.
Me too and it used to be one of only two holidays I like, the other being Thanksgiving.
Chris, same here. And I resent not being able to celebrate this momentous year! These fuckers take everything away from us. I might have a Hope-it’s-a-painful-prison-stay or death Party.
The party will be when we take back the government in 2028.
And you must know the joke about the fortune teller who informs Trump that he is destined to die on a national holiday...
I have two splits of Champagne waiting in the fridge. I hope that it doesn't go flat before he goes.
Black armbands on the 4th!
Sad but true. And the flag that flies at camp is now the Pride flag instead of "old Glory."
Right?!
Well Jeff, it looks as if we had a revival on the Mall paid for by who? A preacher at the event said it was gods plan to build the Epstein Pedo Dance Hall. Couple that revival with those 2 gold painted statues of Donald, another preacher blessing it while the attendees pray to it, and the preachers feels compelled to say “it’s not a golden calf” I challenge anyone to say that folks have started a new religion… Church of Trump… Best to all fellow travelers.
“If you have to tell people it’s not a golden calf, it’s a golden calf”. — Evan Hurst, Wonkette
Evan is pure gold. 😝
Who needs a cash cow when we have a cash calf.
🤣
Redux from April
To him everything is an opportunity priced
As a chance for his next grifting heist
Under that cotton candy hair
Is a 666 there?
He sure acts like the antichrist
There's definitely a 666 there
The reason women choose the bear...
👌🤩
🤣
👏👏👏😂
Best one ever!
I do believe if asked to eat one of trumps loaded diapers they would eat it with relish but first they would pay for it because...
I think you’re correct about that. They would definitely pay for it first!
He sells a lot of shit.
Or, as I say:
He feeds his MAGAts SHIT, tells them it's CAVIAR, & being COMPLETELY BULLSHITTED & BAMBOOZLED, they fucking SLURP IT UP WILLINGLY & BEG FOR MORE.
#Bumblefuck doesn't "love" the Poorly Educated....HE *USES* THEM.
it's a golden statue- the calf part isn't the real problem.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image [Pesel (פֶּסֶל)] nor any likeness [Temunah (תְּמוּנָה)] of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath"
-Exodus 20:4.
but do they 'worship' it?
turns out it might not matter:
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" — Exodus 20:5
"Bow down" — Shachah (שָׁחָה)
"Serve" — Abad (עָבַד)
people then and now bow down and serve all the time without ascribing Divinity to those they are bowing down to and serving, but:
Qanna (קַנָּא).
So it's a jealous God, reframing the relationship in a matrimonial framework rather than a patriarchal one. At this point God wasn't claiming to be the only all-powerful but he was their God and they was his people both chosen and choosing, more of a fidelity or loyalty thing.
they maybe may be metaphorically bowing down and serving, but it's only bad if it makes God jealous, so I guess someone who sees Trump as a manifestation of God might not see a problem, whereas those who realize that he is not...
My God! When you think about how the Mormon religion got it's start...
https://www.osvnews.com/america-250-occasion-to-reflect-on-equality-as-a-god-given-right-bishop-barron-says/
Talk is cheap.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18ZaLPehoq/
“I don’t know whether to congratulate this guy for finally coming to his senses, or to be super pissed off at him for being a fucking idiot who voted for fascism three times.” Obligatory why not both?
Stoopid MAGA rubes… he was a NEWYORK real estate scam artist with a big mouth-who was loathed by practically everyone in
NY& NJ… and you thought he was good for the country?
I used to hope he wouldn’t do to our country what he did to Atlantic City. No such luck.
Betting he’ll do it all again if, gawd forbid, tRump manages to run again.
How prescient was Margaret Attwood? The Handmaid's Tale has landed, long predicted. But I honestly believe that more Americans are wise to this than the blinkered buffoons who follow their chief buffoon into fresh hells of poverty, no health care and concentration camps. The Revolution will happen. It has to.
The glass isn't half empty or half full; it's irredeemably f**ked.
-@hairybadgeridfk.bsky.social
Or, as Our Hero - George Carlin said, "I don't think of the glass as half full or half empty... I think of it filled with piss".
Listening to Carlin right now it's so trippy, he was talking about this crazy shit 30 years ago and it's so prescient for today's shit show.
I miss Carlin!
He always said it best!!
It's a shame that George isn't around to skewer this regime. The man had a gift.
He surely did!
👆😑
While we were contemplating whether the glass is half empty or half full, 77 million Americans urinated into it
Still cannot figure that one out tbh
Claudia really was such a beautiful woman....the bench is a priceless tribute. ❤️
"the entire population of Iran just rolled its eyes so hard in unison that it almost threw the Earth off its axis." 😂😂😂 Seriously, he's near death, right? Please tell me he's near death.
How much more must we endure... I honestly believe that if they screw around with the midterms, there will be violence. Who talked him out of the ludicrous lawsuit? 🤔
I think going for the egregious settlement was his plan all the while. Lawsuits are a cottage industry among his kind. You know, the art of the deal.
The bench was a perfect gift (especially after having seen the photo of Claudia sitting amidst all those plants in the living room).
That same line about the Iranian eyeroll--good thing I wasn't trying to drink anything.
Same here. How long can the fuckin bastard last?
His cabal can perpetuate his presence forever using AI generated video from past clips. Just like the gigantic, pervasive images of Big Brother in 1984.
At least until he spends the Weekend at Bernie's...
Regrets are better than my "concerned" maine senator. I've more respect for this guy than those shitweasels Cassidy and Graham
Don't forget Cornyn, who's twisting himself into a pretzel trying to get Trump's last minute endorsement.
There's too many to keep track of
The same grifters who organized January 6 put on taxpayer-funded Jesuscon to celebrate America. Our April 15 money spent on a nine-figure no-bid tithe to the same ghouls who monetized the original riot, except this time the star can’t even be bothered to record a fresh blasphemy for 100-million-dollar altar where the zombie-eyed faithful sacrifice whatever’s left of shame.
And this time Trump is not just phoning in his fake Christianity, he’s butt-dialing it from the golf cart by reusing last month’s AI-slop Bible promo like Ron Popiel at 3AM.
And they DON'T NOTICE. They DON'T CARE. 70% of Republicans seem to be FINE with this.
Jesuscon says it all
But there are fewer Republicans now. It's the MAGAt death cult. Most of the sane members have left.
Yes, really makes you S C R E A M as loud you can into your pillow!
Well, the idiot who called c-span to say he voted for Trump three times. I do not want to hear his excuse and not going to get sympathy from me. The people who voted for him three times. F-off!
Btw, I love the photo of the bench on the dock with Claudia’s name on it. Also the photo of Katie, her husband and Claudia.
One time vote for rump is enough for me to want to never speak or look at anyone who did that.
Well, I give credit to anyone who can publicly admit they were wrong…Yeah, he should’ve known, but hey, we have all made bad choices at one time or another..
Indeed we all have made bad choices in the past and will make bad choices again but, speaking for myself only, my bad choices did NOT make America a country that international tourists are warned away from - my bad choices did not destroy the our democracy, did not take voting rights from a large population of American citizens, did not bomb a girls school b/c I thought a war would make me more popular, did not commit insider trading and graft from the highest position in our land - did not cost our country our role as leader of the free world, did not alienate our allies to the point where they are no longer our allies - my bad choices did not render thousands, if not millions, of children hungry and kick millions off health insurance. my bad choices did not make American lfe impossible when is used to just be hard; my bad choices did not bring back dangerous illnesses we eradicated decades ago and my bad choices did not put a Gestapo presence in what was a democratic country complete with unsafe prisons - did not tear down part of the White House and then demand $1B from ME AND YOU - I could go on
I don't believe anyone voted for this outcome. They voted for all the things Trump promised. The real a-holes are the republicans (and some democrats) in office that are allowing him to do this. They are supposed to stop him, or guide him. Personally, I have never trusted Trump. Once a liar and cheater, always a liar and cheater. I don't know why anyone expected him to be presidential.
What do you imagine the Democrats -- in the minority in both the House and the Senate -- have the power to do right now?
For starters, how about the democrats that voted with republicans?
Which Democrats on what votes?
Look it up for yourself. I am not a teacher. But I am an informed citizen.
My Senator, Elissa Slotkin, who belatedly has tried to redeem herself by for example appearing with Mark Kelley in that video about illegal orders, voted for many of the Cabinet picks and other dubious nominations (Rubio, Burgum, Bessent, etc.). I sent her blistering emails saying that when I donated to her campaign and voted for her it was not so that she would be a Nazi collaborator. Her staff said she would get back to me. She never did except to ask for money.
They just wanted the racism, not all the rest of it. And I don't believe that any of them were unaware that Trump was a pathological liar. I could have told anybody in 1980 that he was a blowhard conman, he was that notorious from his first emergence into the public eye.
So true.
Not where we were partly responsible for putting a fucking criminal in office with all the other criminals. I sure as hell haven’t made a mistake that bad.
Let (s)he who hasn’t voted for a 34 X convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, fake TV businessman, racist cast the first stone.
Gimme rock. Stand back.
I have skills: I once hit a skunk--threatening to spray me for no good reason--with a (small) rock directly in its ass. The skunk chose a quick exit into the woods. I see a direct correlation with this administration and I just need the rocks.
Bravo! That must have been awesome. I'll bet that skunk was mighty surprised. What a great story.
So very tempting
That was a hell of a bad choice to make three times even after captain befuddled pants tried to overthrow our government on 1/6.
Hey wasn’t that Alpha-Manly…? Careful now
Exactly.
But don’t ever trust that guy
Trump is a two bit Queens hustler in the twilight of his long career conning the most gullible people on earth. MAGA will end up on the ash heap of history, and it can’t happen soon enough!
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!
Thank GOD the debacle on the mall was so poorly attended. I live here and it wasn’t clear from reading the WaPo. And thank YOU for making me LOL at the insanity of this event and DJT’s part in it. Maybe the red hats are catching on. It’s late in the game, but ok.
Wondering what Vought/Leo thought of that crowd size…
How can a preacher act so holy
While worshipping that rapist roly-poly
Go fuck yourself, F. Graham
Your fake words, you can say 'em
But you are bereft, morally and soully
Great poetry!!!
I started laughing so hard at “godbothering fucknuggets” that I couldn’t read. That just begs for a Terry Gilliam animation. I can see it my head - A Magnificent Majestic Old Testament God raining hellfire down on the fucknuggets at his feet. Someone clever person do that for us. Please? But when I could finish reading it was great and I love the bench for Claudia
Or raining chicken fucknuggets down like MANNA for the MAGA fucktards wandering in a desert of morality
"desert of morality"
Excellent!
With a flood of ketchup