The Economy Is Booming!

+++Today I return to the chemo chair so I do not know how I shall feel afterwards so this may be my only offering for today.  I apologize.+++

 

I am really sick of these bastards that push this mound of fecal matter….the media and especially Donny…the average person sees NO benefit from the economy that we are told is going great guns.

The only sector that is ‘booming’ are those financial twats that manipulate the markets…..they are making money….but Betty Jo is not and she is paying 20% more for just about everything.

Then if you want sticker shock then I suggest you try grocery shopping…..then telling that the economy is booming.

A year into President Trump’s second term, the grocery checkout line is telling a very different story than the one coming from the White House. While Trump told a Detroit crowd this week that “grocery prices are starting to go rapidly down,” federal data released the same day show the cost of food at home is still climbing—and at the fastest monthly pace in years, the New York Times reports. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, supermarket prices rose 2.4% over the past year and 0.7% in December, the sharpest monthly jump since October 2022. Dining out costs rose by about the same amount last month, the biggest monthly jump since 2022, per Axios.

Some staples have surged far more: beef is up 16.4% from a year ago, coffee nearly 20%, lettuce 7.3%, and frozen fish 8.6%. Ground beef hit a record $6.69 a pound in December; it was $5.61 a year prior. Eggs are a rare bright spot, down about 21%, and many dairy prices have slipped—but five of six major grocery categories are higher, and overall food prices are now almost 26% above where they were five years ago. NPR has tracked Walmart grocery prices at a Georgia location since 2018, and reports that on average, prices of the staples they track went up 5% over the past year.

Experts say there’s no single culprit. Weather, fertilizer, machinery, fuel, and shifting consumer tastes all play a role, while a yearslong drop in cattle herds is keeping beef prices elevated. Trump’s own policies are also in the mix: tariffs have made imported items like coffee, bananas, and some tropical produce more expensive and pushed up the cost of packaging materials such as aluminum. Immigration crackdowns have also tightened farm labor in some regions, forcing crops to rot in fields in some states.

Low-income shoppers are feeling the increases first and hardest, especially those who temporarily lost SNAP benefits during last year’s government shutdown. Grocery executives say many are trading steak for ground beef, stocking up less, shifting to store brands, and chasing promotions—and they’re now seeing similar behavior from middle-income households. With the Agriculture Department expecting roughly similar grocery inflation again next year, Democrats are leaning into affordability ahead of November’s midterms, arguing that Republicans presiding over still-rising food costs can’t credibly claim victory over inflation. As Axios reports, “broad inflation relief is little consolation for Americans if they aren’t seeing it reflected in grocery bills.”

And to make things worse that idiot that sits in the Golden Throne keeps lying his ass off about prices are dropping rapidly….would someone please tell him to STFU or provide PROOF…..which he cannot do for there is no proof for his damn lies.

If you support that man please inform me to why it is that you think he deserves your support.  (I doubt there will be any truthful answers just regurgitation from the morons in DC)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Project 2025–What Has It Done So Far?

We start a new year, a year where a person put a radical political agenda into force, Project 2025…..but in that year how has the plan made out?

In the months leading up to his election, President Donald Trump insisted that he had nothing to do with the far-right vision for his second administration known as Project 2025, a Christian-nationalist blueprint to remake the federal government. As the year draws to a close, a crowd-sourced effort, as well as trackers from advocacy organizations and labor unions, show that his administration has implemented roughly half of the goals laid out in the document’s 920 pages.

Project 2025 is rooted in injecting narrower interpretations of gender, sexuality and race in federal policy. It calls for ending nearly all of the U.S. government’s efforts to achieve equity, including the collection of data that could be used to track such outcomes across the public and private sectors.

It suggested eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. It also recommended removing out of every rule and regulation terms like sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender equity and gender awareness, along with abortion, reproductive health and reproductive rights.

The blueprint also suggested transforming the FBI into a politically motivated entity, abolishing the Department of Education and dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

The White House has made progress on all these fronts — through a series of executive orders and also politically motivated hirings, firings and restructurings that have fundamentally expanded the president’s influence and power across all branches of government.

There is a saying in Washington, D.C., that personnel is policy: the people put in charge of implementing key policies shape their ideologies. Russell Vought, one of Project 2025’s key architects, heads Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, which he has likened to the “nerve center” through which a president can exert their influence across the federal government. Peter Navarro, who wrote Project 2025’s section on trade, is a top trade adviser to Trump. Brendan Carr, who wrote a section suggesting reforms to the Federal Communications Commission, is now in charge of the agency.

Here are some specifics on parts of Project 2025 that have been implemented and how they could impact women and LGBTQ+ Americans:

Reproductive rights

(READ ON)

How much of Project 2025 has actually been accomplished this year?

I would say for someone who did not know what the plan entailed has done a damn good job of destroying everything the Heritage Foundation wanted destroyed.

Keep in mind Donny is not through yet….more attempts to come I am sure.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Show Me Your Papers”

ICE is in the process of hiring more malignant thugs so they can go door to door searching for anyone that they can bully.

It has become a scene from a bad war movie where the Gestapo is harassing people on the street to produce their papers.

And it is getting worse especially if you are a person of color…..they will zero in on you for the strong arm tactics….

“Your papers, please” is the almost universal cultural sign that you’re in an authoritarian police state. The phrase originates in the classic movie Casablanca, set in a Nazi-controlled city during World War II. The very first line in the movie is a police officer asking a scared civilian, “May we see your papers, please?”, shortly followed by the civilian being summarily executed.

This scene is becoming reality in Minneapolis. As indicated in multiple videos posted to social media over the last few days, ICE agents are roaming the streets and detaining random people for what they describe as “citizen checks”, demanding proof that they are American citizens.

“I parked my car and began walking toward the 24 Somali Mall where I suddenly 4 men who looked like soldiers suddenly jumped out of a car and surrounded me . They told me they needed to verify whether I was a citizen. I was scared. I was devastated. I never imagined that something like this could happen to me in the United States.”

The modus operandi seems to be for ICE to patrol the streets searching for any non-caucasian, before surrounding and threatening them. A victim says they pointed out that there’s no requirement for a person minding their own business to carry ID. The officer then told them, “OK, do you have some ID, then, please? If not, we’re going to put you in the vehicle, and we’re going to ID you.”

This is apparently done non-consensually through a facial recognition system, with ICE snapping an image of you and running it through their system to see if they have the right to haul you off to a detention camp.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/news/were-doing-a-citizen-check-ice-demanding-to-see-your-papers-will-detain-you-if-you-dont-have-id/

This is getting pathetic and anyone that condones this treatment is despicable….

At least the Gestapo did not hide behind face coverings and dark glasses….a cowards way to hide.

This is NOT normal for a country that is suppose to be the beacon of democracy….look at it anyway you choose but…..

Are you ready for the coming hassles?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Trying To Make sense

For year now many people have been trying to make sense of the policies and actions Donny has taken….there have been a wealth of opinions…..but I read one that will make you think….

Donny’s actions start to make sense if one considers this one thing….

It can be hard to work out what might be going through Donald Trump’s head at the best of times, but lately his actions have seemed to be increasingly bizarre and reckless.

However, all of those actions become much easier to understand with one simple perspective shift: Trump knows he is dying, he doesn’t have much time, and he won’t have to face any consequences, at least not in this life.

Trump often doesn’t seem too stressed about consequences, and that’s felt especially true since he won the 2024 election. But over those four years out of office, he came close to facing very real consequences. He was tried and found liable and guilty in both civil and criminal court. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that he was well on his way to being bankrupt, imprisoned, or both. The only thing that saved him was the presidency.

If Trump leaves the White House again, he’ll be at risk of those consequences again, along with all the other ones that he has racked up over the last few months. While Steve Bannon has become the latest supporter of Trump seeking an unconstitutional third term, and Trump still refuses to rule that out, it starts to feel more likely that Trump will avoid walking out of the White House not by changing the Constitution, but by shuffling off his mortal coil while still in residence.

Trump’s health is clearly failing. He’s been seen struggling with stairs and has even mused that Obama was better at navigating them. His cognitive health might well be in decline, and his instances of random word association in public comments appear to be getting worse.

While Trump and his cronies claim that his medical reports generally show that he is in the finest health any person has ever been in, the number of those reports recently should raise an eyebrow. In early October, he had what he called a “semi-annual physical” at the Walter Reed National Medical Center. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed it was a “routine yearly checkup.” The problem is that he already had his annual physical in April.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/11/everything-donald-is-doing-makes-sense-if-hes-dying/

Like I said many opinions that is just one….but if you read it and think about it it is an interesting concept.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Real Cost Of Trump Tariffs

Donny brags about how much money he has made off of these tariffs and that it will pay for so many things…..but there is a real cost of all this silliness.

President Trump’s policies aren’t just affecting affordability ot everyday items for shoppers, but even businesses are feeling the heat. While some names, including Costco, have sued the administration for tariff refunds, more than 700 US businesses filed for bankruptcy in 2025, the highest number since 2010 and a 14% increase from the previous year. Tight credit, high interest rates, persistent cost pressures, and growing import costs as a result of Trump’s chaotic trade tariffs are a few of the reasons for this spike. In contrast to earlier patterns that were dominated by retail bankruptcies, this year’s impacted industries were primarily industrial, such as manufacturing and transportation, while consumer-focused companies, such as fashion, suffered large losses as inflation forced them to prioritize necessities.

Notably, the first half of the year saw 17 significant bankruptcies involving businesses with assets over $1 billion. Chapter 7 liquidations and Chapter 11 reorganizations made up the total number of filings. Along with other significant firms like Rite Aid, high-profile filings included 23andMe, Hooters, Nikola, Spirit Airlines, and Party City, The Washington Post reported. The figures were calculated according to a recent survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Despite Trump’s ‘Made in America’ proposals, which gave momentum to tariffs favoring local production, federal data showcased that the manufacturing sector shed more than 70,000 jobs in November. According to economists, businesses that rely heavily on imports are finding it difficult to control the increased expenses brought on by Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. As Americans cut back on non-essential spending due to inflation, consumer-facing businesses, especially those that sell discretionary goods, are seeing an uptick in bankruptcy filings.

“These companies are acutely aware of the affordability crisis confronting the average American,” Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale’s School of Management, stated. “Those with pricing power will pass on the costs over time. Others will fold,” he added. Manufacturers and suppliers have been severely impacted by tariffs on steel and energy-related equipment, especially in the renewable energy sector. Increased tariffs on imported solar equipment and the loss of government clean-energy incentives caused PosiGen, a solar installer located in Louisiana, to file for Chapter 11 in November.

https://marketrealist.com/why-did-700-bu/

Looks like the first year of the Uncle Donny tour was just peachy….the only people that will make out from this is Donny’s billionaire buddies that are helping eliminate any competition….so much to that elusive ‘free market’….

Not to worry it will only get worse.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What If Billionaires Paid Taxes?

I know a fanciful idea that probably will go nowhere….as much as I dislike AI the author of this piece asked AI that very question and here is what it responded…

The tax system feels upside down sometimes. You work a regular job, and a big chunk of your paycheck goes to taxes. Meanwhile, you hear stories about billionaires paying almost nothing. So, I asked ChatGPT: What would actually happen if the ultra-wealthy paid the same tax rates as everyone else?

It turns out, at least according to ChatGPT, the current system isn’t just unfair. More than that, the country could be getting hundreds of billions of dollars every year if things changed.

ChatGPT started with some shocking numbers about current tax rates. According to research from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the top 400 wealthiest Americans paid an effective tax rate of about 23.8% between 2018 and 2020.

Meanwhile, the average American paid around 30%, and high earners who mostly rely on wages paid closer to 45%. In some years, the richest 400 families actually paid less than the bottom 50% of households.

The most extreme example ChatGPT cited was from Oxfam, which found that in 2021, the wealthiest 400 families paid just 8.2% in federal individual income tax compared to a national average of 13%.

So, the people with the most money are paying the lowest rates. ChatGPT explained this happens because of capital gains preferences, tax loopholes and sophisticated tax planning that regular people can’t access.

When I asked ChatGPT to run the numbers on what equalizing tax rates could raise, the amounts were, quite frankly, staggering.

The most conservative estimate suggested that making billionaires pay taxes at the same rate as working-class Americans could generate $500 billion to $1 trillion per year in additional revenue.

Other scenarios were even more dramatic. If the top 1% paid just 10 percentage points more in taxes, that could raise $300 billion annually or $3 trillion over 10 years.

A more aggressive approach like raising billionaire tax rates by 25 percentage points could yield $800 billion or more per year. Yes, you read that number correctly.

ChatGPT also looked at specific policy proposals. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax could generate $113 billion annually, while Sen. Ron Wyden’s billionaire income tax might add $56 billion per year.

https://www.gobankingrates.com/taxes/tax-laws/asked-chatgpt-what-would-happen-if-billionaires-paid-taxes-at-same-rate-as-working-class

A fascinating answer…..

Personally I think that everyone should pay the same taxes regardless….since corporations are considered humans now they too should pay the same tax as we on all income.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Do ICE Agents Have Immunity?

Donny’s Goon Platoon has made of habit of killing American citizens and now it appears that they have absolute immunity for their actions.

Under normal circumstances they do not….but nothing about Donny’s tearing up our rights is nothing normal.

But there we are…..

Vice President JD Vance’s claim Thursday that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis is “protected by absolute immunity” drew immediate pushback from experts who said the legal landscape around a potential prosecution is far more complicated.

Speaking at the White House, Vance appeared to try to stymie any efforts by Minnesota prosecutors to pursue a criminal case against the agent.

“The precedent here is very simple. You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action – that’s a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job,” Vance said, echoing others in the Trump administration. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It would get tossed out by a judge.”

That assessment was quickly met with skepticism by experts who said the vice president was overstating the law around immunity for federal officials. Vance’s comments come amid nationwide protests of ICE officials and criticism of the agency’s efforts to carry out a historic deportation campaign with little to no oversight.

“The idea that a federal agent has absolute immunity for crimes they commit on the job is absolutely ridiculous,” said Michael J.Z. Mannheimer, a constitutional law expert at Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

Mannheimer said that more than 120 years of case law on the issue of so-called supremacy clause immunity has shown that federal officials can be criminally pursued by state prosecutors for conduct taken in the course of their official duties but that it’s up to courts to ultimately determine whether they can be shielded from the charges.

“Officers are not entitled to absolute immunity as a matter of law,” said Timothy Sini, a former federal prosecutor in New York.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/politics/ice-immunity-jd-vance-minneapolis

Sadly under the leadership of Donny, the Goon Platoon, does have immunity even as it flies in the face of the law….

The modern version of the Brown Shirts are set to expand their numbers so these thugs can harass citizens in the homes and further expand their ability to function without regard to the law.

These ‘officers’ are criminals more so than the people that pretend to be hunting and as such need their legs cut off…..

This is a disgusting and pathetic path that Little Donny has decided to travel and I hope it bites his left cheek off.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“To Punish And Enslave”

I know….I know this is old news….but is it?

Donny’s Goon Platoon is at it again….killing American citizens and getting away with it….by now everyone knows about Minneapolis….but the blow back is amazing to follow….

On Wednesday, an ICE agent killed a woman in her vehicle on the streets of Minneapolis. She was reportedly a U.S. citizen. But then President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made their own conduct even more damning by blaming the victim and insisting the officer acted out of legitimate self-defense. The video Trump posted didn’t come close to supporting his claims. Other videos strongly suggested the officer wasn’t at all in a life-threatening situation and that lethal force was in no way justified, and Minnesota officials vehemently backed that up. DHS officials then leaked that the agent had violated use-of-force protocol. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Felipe De La Hoz, who writes well about ICE accountability. We discuss the government’s collapsing cover story, how this saga sheds light on ICE’s worsening lawlessness, and what needs to happen to rein in this rogue agency.

Listen to this episode here.

A transcript is here.

Most every American has gotten pieces parts of this report….this is an update all in one place….learn what happened….

It could all come down to 399 milliseconds.

That’s the amount of time between the first two gunshots fired by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the deadly shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis Wednesday, according to an ABC News metadata analysis.

The circumstances surrounding 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good‘s death have ignited a national firestorm, with leaders of Minnesota’s largest city, along with numerous lawmakers, condemning the ICE agents’ actions, while federal officials say that the agents acted in self defense after Good tried to ram them with her car in an act of domestic terrorism.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/minneapolis-ice-shooting-minute-minute-timeline-renee-nicole/story

Speaking of Donny’s Goon Platoon, ICE, these little brown shirters are the scum of the pot….

The explosive Daily Mail report found that the administration’s $50,000 signing bonus attracted droves of unqualified recruits — high school grads who can “barely read or write,” overweight candidates with doctor’s notes saying they’re unfit, and even applicants with pending criminal charges.

The report exposed how Immigration and Customs Enforcement took a blowtorch to hiring standards, with one Department of Homeland Security official blasting: “We have people failing open-book tests and we have folks that can barely read or write English.”

Officials sent recruits to a Georgia training center before drug test results came back, later discovering some tested positive.

At the academy, some recruits showed up with tattoos tied to gangs and white supremacists. One bailed for a court date on a gun charge, and another was arrested for exploding at a bus driver. To boot, sex harassment accusations emerged, with a source describing to the Daily Mail predatory behavior during training.

The report poured cold water on ICE claims that over 85 percent were experienced officers already trained.

https://www.rawstory.com/ice-shooting-2674862836/

Not to worry Donny will make sure that this housewife will  have died for no other reason than a GOON thinking he is god….

Insider sources told independent journalist Radley Balko that the FBI was “initially open to a concurrent investigation” with the Minnesota BCA, but then Trump-appointed Minnesota US Attorney Daniel Rosen “intervened” and barred the agency from cooperating with local officials on the probe.

“Practically, unless something changes, Rosen’s intervention means there will be no independent police agency investigating the shooting,” Balko added. “It will be left entirely to Kash Patel’s FBI. Any chance of state charges will be entirely reliant on the FBI investigation and what evidence it decides to share.”

When asked by a journalist about the decision to end cooperation with Minnesota investigators on Thursday, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted that “they have not been cut out,” but said that rather “they don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/fbi-ice-shooting-investigation

Now the Donny troop of idiots will make it illegal for you to record and missteps by ICE….

The Trump administration believes you don’t have the right to record Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in public. This stance is both factually wrong and an attempt to chill free speech by conflating it with violence.

At a July 2025 press conference in Tampa, Florida, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said, “Violence is anything that threatens them and their safety, so it is doxing them, it’s videotaping them where they’re at when they’re out on operations, encouraging other people to come and to throw things, rocks, bottles.”

In September 2025, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin called “videotaping ICE law enforcement and posting photos and videos of them online” a form of doxing. She added, “We will prosecute those who illegally harass ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

These aren’t idle threats. The Trump administration strong-armed Apple into removing an app from its mobile store that tracked ICE activity and threatened criminal investigations into its creators.

https://reason.com/2026/01/08/you-have-the-right-to-record-ice/

Vance, the idiot in the second seat, has also puked up crap on this incident….

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday lashed out at the media and “left-wing” activists whom he blamed for the death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good at the hands of a federal immigration enforcement agent.

During a press conference at the White House, a reporter asked Vance if there was anything he could say to unite America in the wake of Good’s killing by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, and Vance responded by immediately attacking the media.

“The reporting over this has been one of the biggest scandals I’ve ever seen in media,” Vance complained. “I’ve never seen a case so misrepresented and misreported. We have a guy who was defending himself, who is now being treated as some sort of federal assassin by so many of the people in this room.”

Vance also described Good as “a woman who aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/jd-vance-renee-good

I told you he was an idiot…..what a screamim’ prick.

Question:  Why was a blonde soccer mom stopped by the immigration thugs?

The orange shriveled husk of a human and his demented minions have been trying their damnedest to make the dead woman out as some ‘domestic terrorist’….seriously….

There was a woman screaming, “Shame! shame! shame!” She was an agitator. Probably a paid agitator. But, in my opinion, she was an agitator. A very high-level agitator. So professional. She wouldn’t stop screaming.

I said, “This isn’t a normal situation. This is a professional troublemaker.” ‘Cause you heard it and I had it. I will say this: The news sort of turned her down, turned her off, because you’re trying to watch — she was so loud and so crazy, and just not normal. When somebody sees something like that, they don’t go screaming and screaming and the same words. So, I guess you could say, professional, but I didn’t think she did a very good job. You have agitators, but we’ll always be protecting ICE, we’re always gonna be protecting our border patrol, and our law enforcement.

This situation just illustrates the disgusting attitudes that Donny and his Goon Platoon have toward the citizens of this nation…..and the real problem is those idiots twats that support this nonsense.

***My routine of labs, scans, treatment and doctors begins again today…..so this will likely be my only offering today….hopefully I can get back to normal tomorrow…..thanx for understanding.***

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–11Jan26

Boy was it a helluva week at the Sh*t Show!

As you know the US attacked Venezuela and ‘arrested’ Maduro….after that attack Donny’s pathetic minions stared threatening just about everyone….Iran, Columbia, Mexico, Cuba and of course Greenland has returned to the headlines.

Consider this….Donny wants Greenland because it is a big island….

The murder of a soccer mom in Minnesota by ICE

RFK, is determined that more of us are to die….he has given us a new food pyramid….he suggest we eat more fats…

Curses Foiled Again…..No Medal For Donny….

Donald Trump cannot officially be given Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize, according to the committee that gives out the award.

Machado initially dedicated the award to Trump but has since expressed her desire to give him the trophy, which the president has said would be ‘a great honor’ to accept.

However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday that this would be impossible.

he Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status,’ they said in a statement.

‘The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.’

The statement then links to an explanation of the Nobel Prize rules which includes that ‘no appeals may be made against the decision of a prize-awarding body with regard to the award of a prize.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15452541/Venezuela-opposition-leader-Nobel-Prize-Trump.html

But beyond all that silliness Donny just kept his motor mouth moving and showing his disdain for everything American.

Little Donny Do-Nothing rages at the media (again)….this from a podcast….

President Trump runs everything he does through a frame that pits strength against weakness. He just exploded at the media over coverage of his tariffs, claiming media figures are deliberately covering up the fact that his tariffs are making our country strong. Meanwhile, after his operation in Venezuela, he’s threatening at least three other countries. His threat to annex Greenland is spreading real fear in that country. This and his naked threats to take Venezuela’s oil after deposing its leader are meant to position him and our country as strong and dominant. But in every way, the truth is the opposite of what he’s saying. The tariffs, the action in Venezuela, and the threats to disrupt NATO are making us weak. And a new poll finds little support for his invasion, suggesting there’s an opening to undermine his strong-versus-weak frame in the public mind. We’re talking about all this today with international relations professor Nicholas Grossman, who’s one of the best out there at making the case that Trump is broadly weakening our country. Nick, always good to have you on.

https://newrepublic.com/article/204960/transcript-angry-trump-demands-media-flatter-brutal-poll-lands

Donny gets his pandering and he relishes in its glow….this is a list of the biggest ass kissers….

While Trump and his henchmen are stripping Americans of our constitutional rights and illegally taking over other nations, America’s supposed leadership class is silent. Or worse, they’re helping Trump.

Too many university presidents are silent or caving to Trump’s demands. Too many senior managers of law firms have surrendered to his tyranny. Too many directors of large nonprofits are remaining silent. Almost all Republican leaders are rubber stamping his authoritarianism. Too many Democratic leaders are barely putting up a fight.

The worst offenders are the CEOs of some of America’s most powerful and influential corporations.

Some stood up with the rest of America against Trump when he tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now they’re silent about what Trump is doing to our democracy and international law. Or they’re actively enabling him in order to protect and pad their bottom lines.

https://www.alternet.org/pandering-trump/

Donny claims prices are down….just where is that?

Donald Trump claimed that “prices are way down” for Americans in a new interview touting his apparent economic success.

The president said his administration was doing a “great job on the word ‘affordability’” despite claiming just weeks ago that the word was a “hoax” created by the Democratic Party.

Trump made the claims while speaking to Sean Hannity on his eponymous Fox News show.

“We have gasoline now down to, in many cases, $1.99 a gallon,” Trump said. “With Biden, it was $4.50, $5.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-prices-affordability-oil-b2897356.html

Where are these prices?

Donny’s Goon Platoon has an appalling record and it just keeps getting worse….

Federal immigration enforcement agents, unleashed and emboldened by President Donald Trump, have been rampaging through the streets of cities across the United States for months, racking up an appalling record of abuses and alleged crimes, including kidnapping, beatings, and murder.

Such abuses have targeted, but haven’t been limited to, undocumented immigrants. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three, earlier this week called greater attention to the agency’s lawless behavior, enabled by an administration whose number-two official—Vice President JD Vance—falsely insists that federal immigration officers have “absolute immunity” from prosecution.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-abuses-under-trump

MTG is about to feel the full force of Donny’s wrath….

Donald Trump‘s relationship with former MAGA Queen Marjorie Taylor Greene may have reached its turning point after he reportedly believed she tipped off anti-war protesters to the location where he was having dinner last fall, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The White House told the Secret Service the former Georgia congresswoman, 51, may have been behind members of CodePink knowing Trump’s location and descending upon Joe’s, a Washington, D.C. seafood restaurant, where they were able to get within a few feet of the president on September 9, 2025.

https://radaronline.com/p/trump-orders-secret-service-probe-marjorie-taylor-greene-leaked-location/

Would you like a good chuckle?

Remember the ‘ear thing’ from 2024?

On July 19, 2024, an authentic post on X by Donald Trump stated: “[The bullet] took my entire ear off. The whole ear. But I went to the doctor, and he said, and this is true, he said, you heal faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Nobody is healthier than you. And the next day, my ear was growing back, and the doctor said, nobody regrows ears like that […]”

In early 2026, an old screenshot resurfaced, claiming to show a U.S. President Donald Trump post about his recovery on Truth Social after being shot in a July 13, 2024, assassination attempt during his reelection campaign. According to the screenshot in the posts — which originally spread in July 2024 — Trump wrote on X that his ear was entirely taken off by a bullet, but it began regrowing the next day.

Screenshots of the purported post spread across social media in 2024 and 2026. It stated:

It took my entire ear off. The whole ear. But I went to the doctor, and he said, and this is true, he said, you heal faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Nobody is healthier than you. And the next day, my ear was growing back, and the doctor said, nobody regrows ears like that, and its a really remarkable thing, regrowing an ear like that, most people can’t do it. And I know that, because its not me saying this, it’s the doctor, its everybody saying, just, you’re the best at regrowing ears.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-regrowing-ear/

Seriously?  It grew back the next day?

That Was The Week That Was…..a whole tent full of excrement.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Thomas Paine–Where It All Began

I shall forego the “Dump’ for this Saturday to bring you some history as we are beginning our celebration of the birth of America, 250 years and counting.

As a political historian I always like to look at cause and effect and the publication of Commonsense, was cause that lead a bunch of wealthy white guys to declare independence from Mother England.

Some believe that the DoI was the beginning of our struggle for independence….I disagree.  It began with Thomas Paine and the publishing of his pamphlet ‘Commonsense’ on 10 January 1776.

Common Sense made a clear case for independence and directly attacked the political, economic, and ideological obstacles to achieving it. Paine relentlessly insisted that British rule was responsible for nearly every problem in colonial society and that the 1770s crisis could only be resolved by colonial independence. That goal, he maintained, could only be achieved through unified action.

Hard-nosed political logic demanded the creation of an American nation. Implicitly acknowledging the hold that tradition and deference had on the colonial mind, Paine also launched an assault on both the premises behind the British government and on the legitimacy of monarchy and hereditary power in general. Challenging the King’s paternal authority in the harshest terms, he mocked royal actions in America and declared that “even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their own families.”

Finally, Paine detailed in the most graphic, compelling and recognizable terms the suffering that the colonies had endured, reminding his readers of the torment and trauma that British policy had inflicted upon them.

(jackmillercenter.org)

The Constitution of the United States as proposed by Thomas Paine in Common Sense

Since Paine’s contribution is mostly overlooked by Americans here is the full text of Commonsense….

But for those lazy amongst us….these are the main ideas within Commonsense….

Monarchies Violate Laws of Nature and Religion

Thomas Paine believes monarchies are an invalid form of government because they violate the laws of nature and religion. Paine argues all people are born as equals, which is a function of nature. No person or family is better than another. That line of reasoning concludes there shouldn’t be a ruling class. Paine also thinks those who do rule should not be able to pass their position to their next of kin. Nature doesn’t grant one family superior intelligence or leadership abilities, and it’s very possible the next person in line for the job will lead his or her followers into ruin. Monarchal rule and hereditary succession violate the very laws of nature.

Monarchies also violate the word of God. Paine points out there were not any kings in the early days of humanity (at least according to scripture) and there weren’t any wars. Paine implies these two are related. He contends the devil invented kings, which were first adopted by the heathens, as a tool to promote idolatry. Both Gideon and Samuel warn their followers about the dangers of worshiping someone other than God. In Samuel’s case the Israelites don’t listen, and they are smitten for disobedience. Paine believes this biblical evidence proves God is the only true king.

Independent, Democratic America

Paine insists the British government doesn’t have the colonists’ best interest at heart. It cares only about its own profit and success, and it treats the colonists as second-class citizens. Americans do not have the same rights as those who live on British soil and are unfairly punished when they try to uphold their interpretation of the British Constitution. The grievances between the two parties, as well as the bloodshed and destruction caused by the British army, are too great to repair. The only answer is for the colonies to separate themselves from Great Britain.

To those who quaver in fear of losing the protection and benefits afforded by the British government, Paine points out Great Britain is much too far away to protect the colonists from any imminent danger, and it is much too small of an island to govern a territory as large as the American colonies. Though he admits there have been benefits to British rule, he contends life in the colonies would perhaps have been even more pleasant and fruitful had Great Britain never controlled them at all.

An independent America will need a government of its own. Paine has already proven monarchical rule is unsuitable for the success of a nation and the happiness of its people, so he suggests a representative government elected by the people. This structure is in line with what he believes nature intended, as each person’s voice will be represented equally. The law will be king in America, not a monarch.

The Fight for Independence Cannot Be Postponed

Paine urges his readers to take up the cause of independence now. The tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies are only going to get worse, and the damage done at the battles of Lexington and Concord and during the Siege of Boston cannot be repaired. If anything, the situation will worsen. Waiting for a better time would mean the loss of experience gained during the French and Indian War (1754–63), which would decrease the colonists’ chances of victory. Delaying the push for independence could mean being tethered to Great Britain indefinitely, and as Paine points out, a country dependent on another is weak in the eyes of the world.

America may be a young country, but it has a lot of assets, including its youth. “Youth is the seed time of good habits, as well in nations as in individuals,” he writes. Developing continental unity now will be much easier than 50 years down the road when individual colonies are deeply entrenched in their own ways of life. Colonies are not yet at their peak populations, which means there aren’t too many people or ports to protect, yet there are still enough men to form a robust army. People haven’t yet developed strong roots in their communities, nor have they made their family fortunes in business. Unlike British civilians, who may carry the weight of wealth and family tree, the colonists have little to lose by going to war. That will surely change if efforts for independence are postponed, which will make it harder to raise a capable army.

American Independence Benefits the World

Paine argues American independence will help all friendly nations thrive, especially those who engage with trade. Separating the colonies from Great Britain will create open and free trade. That means the colonists decide to whom they will sell and for what price, which will help the American economy grow and which will benefit other, primarily European, economies as well. When no longer bound by Great Britain’s trading laws, they will be free to import goods from other countries, such as Spain and France, as well as to import goods to them, all of which will improve the international economy. Paine doesn’t leave out England—he thinks open trade will benefit the British government and its citizens alike.

Trade isn’t the only part of international relations that will improve with American independence. The colonies will be able to maintain strong and friendly relationships with other countries even if those countries are quarreling with Great Britain. As subjects of the British government, the colonies often found themselves in the middle of disagreements with other nations, and there was always the risk of going to war over matters that didn’t pertain to those living in North America. Freedom from Great Britain allows the colonies to declare neutrality during international conflicts, which preserves existing relationships and protects the American citizens, their property, and their economy.

Now after reading that who was the original Founding Father?

Sixteen years ago I wrote this piece doing my part to give Thomas Paine his due….something this country has never been able to bring itself to do.
If it had not been for Paine the revolution and our independence would have been much delayed.
He deserves so much more than this country gave….and what they gave was near nothing.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”