AS APRIL FADES into history, we
should take note of a recent uproar, fueled by angry dopes
on X. These dopes demand to know how Democrats in Congress could stand and
applaud Charles III during his recent address, when those same Democrats, and
people like me, use the phrase, “No Kings,” in protest.
I doubt anyone has ever said, “I
go to X to get the latest carefully crafted analysis,” on any topic, but holy
shit.
If one were to read what the real
King of Great Britain said, you would understand why people on our side
applauded.
But that would require reading,
and “influencers” on X don’t go in much for reading (or introspection).
Charles III addresses Congress.
"No Kings" protesters. Donald Trump deals in hate.
*
POLICY-WISE, here are Charles’ main
points (in bold) that those of us left of center can applaud.
(Interpretation for the MAGA faithful is added in orange, as
needed.)
(King Charles III and Donald Dumpling II are not the same.)
(Orange being The Dumpling’s favorite skin toner color.)
On the Founding Fathers, for
example, Charles had this to say:
They carried with
them, and carried forward, the great inheritance of the British Enlightenment –
as well as the ideals which had an even deeper history in English common law
and Magna Carta.
These
roots run deep, and they are still vital. Our Declaration of Rights of 1689 was
not only the foundation of our constitutional monarchy, but also provided the
source of so many of the principles reiterated, often verbatim, in the
American Bill of Rights of 1791.
And
those roots go even further back in our history: the U.S. Supreme Court
Historical Society has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160
Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle
that executive power is subject to checks and balances.
No American, now
or in the future, will ever be well-served if one man or woman grasps too much
power in his or her hands. Note that Charles specifically mentions the need to
check and balance executive power.
He’s talking about
Donald …
A reference to the Magna Carta is a reminder to check the power of any king.
Got it?
What animates our great nation?
Charles mused:
Distinguished
members of the 119th Congress, it is here in these very halls that this spirit
of liberty and the promise of America’s founders is present in every session
and every vote cast.
Not by
the will of one, but by the deliberation of many,
representing the living mosaic of the United States. In both of our countries,
it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us
our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that,
so tragically, exist in both our societies today.
We’re not ruled by a king. He’s still talking about Donald
Dumpling II.
On faith, he points out that while
Christianity is his rock, he also believes in building a broad understanding:
Through
it I am inspired by the profound respect that develops as people of
different faiths grow in their understanding of each other. It is why it is
my hope – my prayer – that, in these turbulent times, working together and with
our international partners, we can stem the beating of plowshares into
swords.
I am
mindful that we are still in the season of Easter, the season [as a Christian] that
most strengthens my hope. It is why I believe, with all my heart, that the
essence of our two nations is a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster
compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value all
people, of all faiths, and of none.
For lawmakers like
Rep. Andy Ogles and Rep. Randy Fine, who love to hate on Muslims, it must have
been painful to listen to Charles. King Dumpling, of course, has preferred to
call Somali immigrants “garbage,” and has said he doesn’t want any more
immigrants from places where, frankly, they’d be non-white.
Compassion,
promoting peace – we have a fool in the White House talking about “ending a
civilization” in Iran.
We who speak out and say, “No Kings,” find almost no overlap in the words Charles III uttered, and the words of hate that so regularly spill from Donald Trump’s mouth.
The king of Great Britain continued:
The
alliance that our two nations have built over the centuries, and for which we
are profoundly grateful to the American people, is truly unique. And that
alliance is part of what Henry Kissinger described as Kennedy’s ‘soaring
vision’ of an Atlantic partnership based on twin pillars: Europe and America.
That partnership, I believe Mr. Speaker, is more important today than it has
ever been.
The
challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone. But in this
unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or
assume that foundational principles simply endure. As my Prime Minister said
last month: “ours is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard
everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must
build on it.”
Great Britain and
the United States have combined strength for a hundred years to defeat fascism,
to curb Islamist forces, and more. If Trump wants to knock down one pillar, we’re
all endangered.
The king wants our
nations to remain friends. It’s pretty stupid to have to listen to Donald threaten
to take over Canada – which still, nominally, listens to the commands of Charles,
himself.
Mural from the Eisenhower Presidential Library, celebrating our alliance with the British and many other allies.
This is not difficult to understand
– though some loud mouths on X, want not to pretend they understand. Stirring
up daily anger is their only real trick. Charles understands how alliances make
all involved stronger, and he made clear his support for NATO, citing the
response of allies after the attacks of 9/11:
In the
immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article Five for the first
time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror,
we answered the call together – as our people have done so for more than a
century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War,
Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.
Today,
Mr. Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of
Ukraine and her most courageous people. It is needed in order to secure a truly
just and lasting peace. From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously
melting icecaps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United
States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each
other’s defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans
and Europeans safe from our common adversaries.
As we all know, if
we don’t have our heads stuck in jack-o-lanterns, Donald continues to trash NATO,
and our NATO allies. He has gone so far as to denigrate the sacrifice of NATO
troops in the fight against the Taliban, though more than a thousand gave their
lives.
Note also the “melting
icecaps,” a clear reference to the damage being done by climate change. Trump
thinks climate change is a “hoax,” and wants to block efforts to expand
renewable energy sources.
The icecaps aren’t
melting by chance.
Meanwhile, The
Dumpling truly believes that windmills cause cancer. Charles III and Donald J.
Trump are not the same.
Melting ice in Greenland: A warning sign to all humanity.
The real king adds:
Our
common ideals were not only crucial for liberty and equality, they are also the
foundation of our shared prosperity. The rule of law: the certainty of stable
and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and
delivering impartial justice.
No individual ever
to have been seated in the Oval Office has so continuously attacked the
judiciary as the Dumpling King, including members of the U.S. Supreme Court,
chosen by is dumpling self. He has called judges who oppose his will “disgraces,”
and much worse.
Then Charles III addresses the
dangers of climate change – without using the term “climate change,” which
otherwise might send Trump over the edge into full fear-the-windmills meltdown.
No pun intended.
“So as
we look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared
responsibility to safeguard nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset.
… The
natural wonders of the United States of America are indeed a unique asset, and
generations of Americans have risen to this calling: indigenous, political and
civic leaders, people in rural communities and cities alike, have all helped
to protect and nurture what President Theodore Roosevelt called ‘the glorious
heritage’ of this land’s extraordinary natural splendor, on which so much
of its prosperity has always depended.
Yet even
as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation must decide how to
address the collapse of critical natural systems which threatens far more than
the harmony and essential diversity of nature. We ignore at our peril the fact
that these natural systems, in other words, nature’s own economy, provide the
foundation for our prosperity and our national security.
Look, if you don’t
know that Donald has been the worst guardian of the environment of any modern American
leader, I feel sorry for you. You’re almost too clueless to be allowed to
handle scissors.
There’s a reason
almost every major environmental organization in this country has opposed
electing Trump – three elections in a row.
Charles continued:
I pray
with all my heart that our alliance will continue to defend our shared values,
with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth, and across the world, and
that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.
Politely speaking,
“America First” doesn’t cut it. The same idea failed in the 1930s and early 40s,
when the fascist powers, and a militaristic Japan rose to power, and then came
close to winning World War II.
The Chinese, the Russians,
the Iranians, and the North Koreans would love to see the United States falter;
and if they work together (and they are doing so), we will need strong
alliances, as always.
POSTSCRIPT: If you
love Donald Trump, you don’t have to like this analysis. But if you are too
obtuse to understand why our side does, you need to read more and scream less.
On climate change, for example, if we get this threat wrong all our children
and grandchildren will be screwed.
And do we really want the Chinese
– the communists the MAGA folks insist we on the left love, but don’t – do we
really want them to dominate the rest of this century, with Russian help?
July 1,
2025:
Ah, summer. Baseball. Hot dogs. Trips to the beach. And Trump grifting. The
president gets the month off to a perfect Trumpian start, announcing he will be selling new “Trump fragrances,” called
“Victory 45-47.”
Spray
this shit all over your body (and it comes in men’s and women’s choices) and you
will know that nothing smells so much like “Winning, Strength, and Success,” as
the crap Donald wants you to buy.
You can
even spray it in your new Alligator Alcatraz hat, our spray it in your Trump
brand golden tennis shoes.
Also for sale: A special
limited-edition cologne for men, called, “Fight, Fight, Fight,” which comes in a
generous 3.3 oz. bottle. Yours for only $425.
The
blogger would like to suggest a new fragrance, to be sold under the Trump
imprimatur: “Smells like Fascism.”
Today,
the president suggested that what he’d really love to do would be to start
deporting American citizens. You know, he told reporters, “We also have a lot
of bad people that have been here for a long time ... many of them were born in
our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here too, if you want
to know the truth. So maybe that’ll be the next job.”
Priceless!
FUN WITH
FOOLS: The president also found time in his busy day to post a video of himself as a
patriotic-themed rock star, playing the guitar with a vengeance, accompanied by
scantily clad patriotic ladies.
___
7/2/25: The
January 6 rioters continued to cover themselves in shame. Today, Edward Kelley
– he of the blanket presidential pardons in January – is sentenced to spend the
rest of his life in prison.
Kelley
was convictedon the
charges of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a
crime of violence, and influencing a federal official by threat.
Kelley received his sentencing in front of
more than a dozen of the targets on his “kill list,” which had specifically
taken aim at individuals working at the FBI’s headquarters in Knoxville,
Tennessee.
*
Speaking
of “shame,” President Trump paid tribute to Jimmy Swaggart, 90, who passed away this
week.
“He was an
incredible Man of Faith and, as our Nation’s longest serving Televangelist,
inspired millions with his Great Love of God and Country,” the president wrote on
Truth Social. “Jimmy will be deeply missed!”
What Jimmy was, for
real, was a great hypocrite who attacked other leading evangelists for having
affairs – and then got caught having affairs of his own. Swaggart also spent
lavishly on cars and clothes and palatial homes – and on prostitutes. Jimmy
really liked the whores, and was caught multiple times cheating on his wife.
(Trump’s kind of preacher, for sure.)
___
7/3/25: The jobs report is better than
expected. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 147,000 jobs were added
to the U.S. economy in June. April and May numbers were adjusted, with 16,000
more jobs added than had been thought. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%.
That brings the total for the first six months
this year (subject to slight revisions) to 782,000 jobs added.
Trump magic, baby – 130,000 jobs per month!!!
In the first six
months of 2024, we should note that 985,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy,
under “Sleepy Joe” Biden.
According to my
math, that would be 164,167 jobs per month – which I believe (blogger
checks his glasses) would be, um…better.
*
On a positive note,
the Dow Jone average is up more than 300 points, when I check just before noon.
At 44,814.63, it’s a new record high.
*
In other news, Republicans
manage to push through Donald’s budget bill, which they swear will put deficit
spending into reverse. We will save gazillions, and our children and their children
will sing our praises after we are gone.
I decide to check the U.S. Debt Clock – which
is always fun. At 3 p.m., give or take a minute, I snap a photo.
The numbers move fast, and never
stop rising, but at that moment the national debt tops out at $37,057,124,980,792.
That
comes out to $108,111 per person – for every citizen, of every age and sex, in
this country.
Team
Trump says the new budget bill is going to save us $1.6 trillion, not add to
the debt. So I will check back periodically in the next four years, and I will be
thrilled to see those numbers go twirling in reverse.
___
7/4/25:
President Trump covers himself in shame once again, on the eve of this day celebrated
by all Americans.
In a
speech in Iowa, he wallowed in the hatred he feels for so many of the people he
was elected to serve and did his best to rev up the anger the MAGA folks might
feel for the targets of his bile.
Taking
aim at Democratic lawmakers who had voted against his “Big, Beautiful Budget
Bill,” he boiled. “They wouldn’t vote only because they hate Trump, but I hate
them, too, you know that?”
“I
really do. I hate them,” he repeated. “I cannot stand them, because I really
believe they hate our country, if you want to know the truth.”
As the Daily
Beast notes, the president’s “tone was strange given that the event, on the
eve of July 4, was organized as a non-political celebration. Trump’s liaison to the
organizing group, America250, said that it was designed to bring Americans
together.” Which President Bozo did not.
*
Sadly,
in Central Texas, tragedy strikes, in this case in the form of a raging
flood. Scientists have warned that climate change will lead to an increase in
abnormal rainfall, and cause catastrophic floods to occur more frequently, and areas
along the Guadalupe River saw ten inches of rain in a few hours. The
river rose so rapidly that rescue operations hardly had time to act. An
all-girls Christian camp was inundated by roaring water – and between 23 and
25 youngsters are missing.
We also
know that 24 people are dead.
At times
like this, hearts go out to all the families who have suffered great loss, and
we are reminded once more that good people of all political persuasions stand
ready to help. We live in a good country, surrounded by good people.
That’s
my takeaway for the day.
Eloise Peck, left, Lila Bonner,
right – missing tonight.
___
7/5/25: Donald
Trump rises from his bed this morning, knowing that he has achieved one of his
main goals – to make sure the federal deficit does not grow during his
second term…
Okay,
no. Not that goal.
To
protect the environ…
No. He
doesn’t care about the environment.
To pass
whopping new tax cuts for billionaires (including himself) – yeah, that’s
the one. As he has been insisting since the bill was signed, just before
the July Fourth weekend, everyone will love this bill. The American people will
be so happy, they will clamor for Donald’s face to be added to Mt. Rushmore –
maybe by chipping off Abraham Lincoln to make space.
Ah,
reality. What a pain.
Last
week, CNN took note of results from
several polls. According to the Washington Post the Big, Beautiful
Budget Bill had a net approval rating of -19 percent. Pew Research Centre had
it at -20, Fox News at -21, Quinnipiac University at -26, and the Kaiser Family
Foundation at -29.
That would put the bill just
ahead of leprosy.
___
7/6/25: Thank
God! Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is on watch and ready to do her part to help
the people of Texas, now reeling from a flooding disaster along the Guadalupe
River. Congresswoman Greene, ever ready to trot out some bizarre new conspiracy
theory, is prepared to pounce.
I mean
“act.”
In the
wake of this tragedy – 67 known dead, so far – she proudly announces: “I am
introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of
chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering
weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity. It will be a felony
offense. I have been researching weather modification and working with the
legislative counsel for months writing this bill. It will be similar to
Florida’s Senate Bill 56. We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of
weather modification and geoengineering. This is not normal.”
Greene
is correct, but for the wrong reasons. Scientists have repeatedly explained how
climate change will alter weather patterns, including making disastrous rain
events more common. The science is not complicated – and even Greene can
probably grasp it, assuming she gets her head out of her ass.
Weather
predictions were calling for up to five inches of rain before the flood
developed. Instead, the Texas Hill Country got ten –in some places fifteen.
___
7/7/25:
Attorney General Pam Bondi stuns the MAGA faithful when she announces that
there is no list of clients for Jeffrey Epstein.
And
Epstein committed suicide.
Weeping
can be heard in all corners of Trumpistan. The MAGA faithful were sure a
million Democratic pedophiles were going to be revealed.
They
were sure Obama would be outed as the person who ordered Epstein killed in his
jail cell.
(Even though Trump was president when Epstein died.)
It was
almost as if all the MAGA talk about Epstein and Democrats, and
child-trafficking rings was horse manure.
And you
had to wonder why Bondi once said that she had “the list” of Jeffrey’s clients
on her desk.
She even
staged a White House photo op, calling in several “influencers” and handing
them big fat binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” – and the MAGA
believers danced in the streets – and waited for the forces of Satan to be
revealed.
And now?
Zippo.
The
denouement was so embarrassing that when the Justice Department and the FBI released
a two-page memo announcing the end of the investigation, it was not signed by
any individual official.
Whoever
wrote the memo simply said, “One of our highest priorities is combatting child
exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories
about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”
The
blogger could have told you that four years ago, when the right wingers started
telling their tall tales.
Donald and Melania, left with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, right.
(Note: The blogger would love to see every one of Epstein’s
clients go to jail.)
(There can be little doubt that powerful individuals are
avoiding justice.)
___
7/8/25: During
a cabinet meeting today, reporters keep asking about the on-and-off
investigation of Jeffrey Epstein – now officially off, after Attorney General
Pam Bondi’s announcement yesterday. When a reporter tried to put a question to
Bondi, The Dumpling bristled, then answered for her. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” he glared at
the questioner. “This guy’s been talked
about for years. Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is
unbelievable.”
He continued with his attack, adding, “I can’t
believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, when we’re
having some of the greatest success, and also tragedy with what happened in
Texas. It just seems like a desecration.”
(So, yes, Mr. President, they’re still talking.)
*
In other
news, Donald dipped into his bag of authoritarian tricks, when he suggested
that if the wrong person were elected mayor of New York City, he might have to
step in. (He did not offer authoritarian details.)
As he
put it for reporters, the president said, “We’re not going to have – if a
communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same. But we have
tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to.”
Okay,
follow along closely, my MAGA friends:
1. If a
mayor is elected – sorry, that’s how it works. The voters choose their
leaders, not Donald J. Trump (even if he did try to steal the 2020 election for
himself.)
2. The U.S.
Constitution specifically grants to the states, power over times and places, and general
rules, regarding federal elections.
3. The
Constitution does not say, if a president doesn’t like a winning candidate,
that the president can take over a city.
4. Or a
state.
5. The
Constitution is silent regarding federal interference in state and local
elections. Therefore, one must revert to the Tenth Amendment. You can read it for yourself.
So could Donald. It’s only twenty-eight words:
“The
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
6. If
you’re not getting it, that means, if the people of New York City elect a
communist, that’s their business.
7. If
the people of Oshkosh elected a member of the American Nazi Party, or the
people of Bismarck elected a socialist, or the people of Little Rock elected a Scientologist,
no president would be empowered to negate such results.
8. The
president needs to figure this out: It’s called “separation of powers,” which
involves dividing power among the three branches, but in also dividing power
between federal, state and local governments.
Dear
Donald,
See how
easy this is?
Sincerely,
The
Blogger
FUN FACT: The
“communist” Donald is worried about is Zohran Mamdani, who is a member of the
Democratic Party, and the Democratic Socialist Party, That last is not the same
as Mamdani being a communist, no matter how often Trump and his right-wing
buddies want you to believe it is.
You can
call a mailbox a “communist mailbox,” or a leprechaun a “communist leprechaun,”
but that doesn’t make what you say so.
As an
authoritarian bonus, President Trump also suggested that “we” (as in the folks
at the White House) could take over Washington D.C. and run it, and everything
would be great. The blogger would like to point out, once more, that D.C. has
no voting powers in Congress. What it does have, however, is more people than either
Wyoming or Vermont. But those states’ populations are mostly white folks.
So,
Republicans don’t ever want D.C. to become a state.
(In case you were looking for a 51st state.)
*
I’m not
sure you could make this up, but Marjorie Taylor Greene is in the news again.
This time, her goal is to save the Utah plastic surgeon who decided not to
give children the COVID vaccines – but to make it appear as if he had. You
know, by lying, and signing fake documentation.
As Marge
explains on X:
I am
writing a letter to the DOJ asking all charges be dropped against Dr. Kirk
Moore. who is facing thirty five years in federal prison for destroying
thousands of vials of COVID-19 vaccine, giving his patients vaccine cards
without taking the shots, and injecting saline into children whose parents
wanted them to believe they got vaccinated without risking the deadly side
effects. This man is a hero, not a criminal.
So.
Sure. Kid skips vaccination. Gets fake card saying he or she did. Gets COVID.
Infects grandma.
Grandma
goes over the rainbow.
Dr.
Moore is a hero!
I think Congresswoman
Greene forgets that the spreading infection killedmore than 1,131,000 Americans.
*
As for
Donald, he ended the day pumped, to know, as he posted on Truth Social, that a
four-mile stretch of road in Palm Beach County had been renamed “PRESIDENT
DONALD J. TRUMP BOULEVARD.”
___
7/9/25: Never
a dull minute in Trumpistan. CNN is reporting that Donald Dumpling recently told
an adoring audience of dinner guests at Mar-a-Lago that he had once threatened
to “bomb the shit out of Moscow” if Putin invaded Ukraine.
This was
Machismo Donald in action –or so The Dumpling bragged – during his first term.
So, as he was telling the tall tale, he kept Putin from invading until a weaker
Joe Biden took office. Today the Kremlin didn’t deny the story – although it kind of did. That is, the Russians said
they couldn’t verify theCNN report.
Did
Donald really tell his dinner guests that he scared Putin away, by threatening
to touch off World War III?
Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not say, however, that, yes, Donald made that
threat, and that Russia quailed in fear.
Meanwhile,
Donald continues not to end the war in Ukraine, which he said he promised
he could do in one day. And he blames Vladimir, with whom he used to say, he
got along great. Like two peas in the authoritarian pod.
“We get
a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump grumbled
to reporters. Vlad? Yeah. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be
meaningless.”
(Who else could have told Donald this – besides the humble
blogger, himself?)
Days since Donald said he could
end the war in one day, starting from 11/5/24):
246.
FUN FACT: In
July 2015 – and by that time Russia had already invaded and taken over Crimea –
Donald still had a soft spot in his heart for Vlad. If elected, he said,
“I think I’d get along very well with Vladimir Putin. People say, ‘what do you
mean?’ I just think I’d get along well with him.”
*
In
unrelated Dumpling news, Team Trump has now reset the record for most measles
cases in one year, at 1,288, since 2000, when the disease was declared
eradicated in the United States.
The old record for measles cases, in the twenty-first
century was also held by Team Dumpling, set in 2019.
___
7/10/25: Not
content to just be president, Donald Trump has warned Brazil that he will slap a
fifty percent tariff on all their goods, unless they promise not to put Jair
Bolsonaro, their corrupt former president, on trial. In a valiant effort to
make us hated in yet another country, The Dumpling warns the current president
of Brazil about a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”
FUN FACT: The
Dumpling lost his appeal on Thursday, related to his battle to
have a defamation award of $5 million, to E. Jean Carroll, set aside. He now
has 90 days to carry his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(I’m not sure even Justice Clarence Thomas will be able to vote
on Trump’s side.)
*
Also,
the White House posted this today – clinching the idea that some of the
sycophants at work there today have no shame.
Nor does
Donald himself.
___
To hold
the powerful to account.
7/11/25: Donald
Dumpling upped his attacks on the free press on Friday, when a reporter for CBS
News dared to ask about the federal government’s response to the flooding disaster
in Texas.
For
example: You might wonder why, David Richardson, the current head of FEMA, had not yet visited the disaster zone?
Or why,
on June 26, Trump had insisted that FEMA should be abolished – but now said it shouldn’t?
Or could
it be that federal agencies like the National Weather Service would have been
able to give better warnings, had staffing not been gutted by DOGE
cuts? That was essentially the question that was asked.
It could
be that nothing more could have been expected in the face of a
once-in-a-thousand-year flooding disaster; but Trump didn’t care to explain. He
certainly didn’t care that the free press must often work to hold government
accountable. Nah. He simply lashed out:
Only a
bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you. I don’t know
who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that. I
think this has been heroism. This has been incredible, really [he motions to
Texas officials], the job you’ve all done, it’s easy to sit back and say, oh,
what could have happened here? There? You know, maybe we could have done
something differently. This was a thing that has never happened before, and
nobody’s ever seen anything – I’ve never seen anything like this.
So, to
recap:
A) One
of the primary roles of a free press is to hold the powerful to account,
and if they screw up, to reveal it.
B) A
reporter is not “evil” just because they ask a question you don’t like. Their
job isn’t to feed you marshmallows.
C) If a president
ever manages to destroy or significantly curtail the free press, all presidents
to follow may decide to adopt the same path.
D) Then
we’d all be screwed.
*
Meanwhile,
Deputy F.B.I. Director Dan Bongino reportedly called in sick on Friday. Sources told NBC that Deputy Dan was “out
of control furious” to discover that Attorney General Pam Bondi had decided not
to release the Epstein Report. That included the “client list” she claimed back
in February she had “sitting on my desk right now.”
On X,
many of the MAGA faithful were equally outraged.
The fury
first erupted on Monday, when the Justice Department issued a statement
asserting that there is no secret Epstein client list and that no further
charges against others are to follow.
___
7/12/25:
Because Donald Dumpling cannot live without praise, including praise he lathers on himself, he
wastes precious presidential juice on Saturday afternoon, posting that the
Boston Red Sox have not lost since they came to the White House to meet with
his glorious self. “8 wins in a row!” he exults.
*
The
Dumpling did not point out that the Department of State has now fired the last negotiators tasked with making progress to
tame climate change.
Go
Boston, right?
FUN FACT: Most
of Europe has been engulfed in record-high temperatures this summer, partly
fueled by the highest water temperatures (by far) ever recorded across the
Mediterranean Sea. In late June, the average was 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.
On land,
it was so hot in France, that the top levels of the Eifel Tower had to be
closed.
You
could read about the growing threat of climate change, as laid out by tens of
thousands of scientists around the world. Or you could be a dope, like Donald
Trump, and focus on the glory that is yourself.
___
You
don’t need Christians to explain human decency.
7/13/25: On
Sunday, Sec. of Defense and Hair-Gel Poster Boy Pete Hegseth attended the
“grand opening,” shall we say, of a church in Washington D.C., linked to the
Christian nationalist movement.
Standing
under an upside-down flag, a sign that the nation is under duress, Pastor Jared
Longshore explained, “We understand that worship is warfare,” pausing a moment
before adding: “We mean that.”
Longshore
told congregants that “liberty and equality are
concepts that only make sense if they are attached to conservative
Christianity. If you get rid of God, you lose all sense of what equality is.”
First, a
note of concern. When we talk of war and religion, the history of the world is stained
with blood, with the killings perpetrated by members of just about any religion
you can name, including the ever-popular slaughter of Christians by Christians
in the 1600s, and the slaughter of Muslims by Muslims in recent decades.
Second,
you don’t need to believe in Christianity, or any other religion, to understand
the Golden Rule.
It has
been laid down, in varying forms, by thinkers from Egypt to China, in ancient
Greek and Sanskrit.
Third,
though the Declaration of Independence mentions that we are “endowed by our
Creator with certain rights,” you don’t need Christians to explain human
decency to you. A kind-hearted atheist, or agnostic grasp the point – perhaps
more clearly than Pastor Longshore himself. If I accept that “all men are
created equal,” and automatically extend it to women, and individuals of
indeterminate gender (and such individuals the Mayo Clinic says that there
are), maybe all I need is a sense of decency, which my mom, a Catholic, taught
me, and I (an agnostic) have endeavored to pass on to my children and
grandchildren, no matter what church the choose to attend, or no church at all.
Right?
*
“And I
cannot tell a lie.”
As
George Washington once said, when caught with a hatchet in his hand, it is
important to tell the truth.
A story
apparently lost on Donald J. Trump. During his meeting with faith leaders, he
insisted at one point, that “gas has gotten to the lowest level in decades. And
you’re seeing $1.99, $1.98 …, I saw $1.95 at certain states.”
Triple A
posts average prices daily
and when I check on July 15, the lowest states are averaging at least $2.75.
Ohio,
where I live, is at $3.01.
The
national average is $3.15.
In other news, we learn that Donald
Trump made time in his busy schedule to win another golfing championship at a
club he just happens to own.
In
between meetings and phone calls, it was a Great Honor to win the Member-Member
Championship, at Trump National, Bedminster (Gross, no strokes), with Tommy
Urciuoli as my partner. The Many other competitors were not only great Golfers,
but also terrific people!
According to The Dumpling, this marked his
fifth club win of the year.
___
July judicial
compendium.
THE NEW
YORK TIMES has gathered comments from dozens of judges, regarding their
concerns, related to Trump administration tactics, which they believe threaten
the rule of law.
As is my
usual practice, I have excluded most comments by judges appointed by Democratic
presidents (although I do not believe they are wrong). Here then are some of
the most worrisome remarks from mostly conservative judges – assuming you are
looking closely at the news.
And, no,
this isn’t “fake news” if you don’t like it. The Times is quoting sitting
members on the federal bench.
Immigration.
Courts
have blocked some policies, including the deportation of additional detainees
to a Salvadoran prison. Other policies remain in effect, including the
confinement of immigrants previously deported to El Salvador. Many cases are
still being heard.
J.
Harvie Wilkinson III, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
Appointed
by Ronald Reagan
On the refusal to return
Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador:
“This is a path of perfect
lawlessness, one that courts cannot condone.”
Charlotte
N. Sweeney, District of Colorado
Appointed
by Joe Biden
On a claim that courts “do
not have a role” in regards to the Aliens Enemies Act:
“This sentence staggers. It is wrong as a matter of law and
attempts to read an entire provision out of the Constitution.”
Roger
L. Gregory, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On a claim that Venezuela
has invaded the U.S.:
“As is becoming far too common, we are confronted again
with the efforts of the executive branch to set aside the rule of law in
pursuit of its goals.”
Stephanie
A. Gallagher, District of Maryland
Appointed
by Donald Trump
On the deportation of an
asylum seeker to El Salvador:
“Defendants have provided no evidence, or even any specific
allegations, as to how Cristian, or any other class member, poses a threat to
public safety. ... This is a court of evidence.”
Executive
orders targeting critics.
All four law firms that sued the Trump
administration have won their cases, and none of the executive orders regarding
them are in effect. The Associated Press partly won its case contesting Mr.
Trump’s restrictions on its White House access.
Richard
J. Leon, District of Columbia District
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On an executive order
targeting the law firm WilmerHale:
“There is no doubt this retaliatory action chills speech
and legal advocacy, or that it qualifies as a constitutional harm.”
John
D. Bates, District of Columbia District
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On an executive order
targeting Jenner & Block:
“In short, the order raises constitutional eyebrows many
times over. It punishes and seeks to silence speech ‘at the very center of the
First Amendment.’”
Trevor
N. McFadden, District of Columbia District
Appointed
by Donald Trump
On The Associated Press’s
access to the White House being restricted for not using “Gulf of America”:
“Indeed, the government
has been brazen.”
Transgender issues.
A ban on transgender people in the military has
taken effect while legal challenges continue. Other rulings have prevented the
freezing of various funds related to trans policies.
Benjamin
H. Settle, Western District of Washington
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On the lack of evidence
about negative effects from trans troops:
“The government’s arguments are not persuasive, and it is
not an especially close question on this record.”
Ana C.
Reyes, District of Columbia District
Appointed
by Joe Biden
On conflicting government
descriptions of the trans ban:
“I am not going to abide by government officials saying one
thing to the public — saying what they really mean to the public — and coming
in here to the court and telling me something different, like I’m an idiot. ...
I am not an idiot.”
John
A. Woodcock Jr., District of Maine
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On a funding freeze
because of the state’s trans policies:
“[The law] imposes numerous steps an agency must take
before refusing or terminating funding for noncompliance. … The factual record
does not indicate the federal defendants took any of these actions before
freezing Maine’s federal funds.”
Citizenship.
Mr. Trump’s order denying birthright citizenship
remains the subject of legal challenges. Separately, rulings have blocked Mr.
Trump’s order requiring voters to produce proof of citizenship.
John
C. Coughenour, Western District of Washington
Appointed
by Ronald Reagan
On the order denying
birthright citizenship:
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t
remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one.
This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.”
Joseph
N. Laplante, District of New Hampshire
Appointed
by George W. Bush
On the order denying
birthright citizenship:
“The executive order contradicts the text of the 14th
Amendment and the century-old untouched precedent that interprets it.”
Budget cuts and funding freezes.
John
J. McConnell Jr., District of Rhode Island
Appointed
by Barack Obama
On a suspension of
congressionally approved spending:
“It is more than monetary harm that is at stake here. As
Justice Anthony Kennedy reminds us, ‘Liberty is always at stake when one or
more of the branches seek to transgress the separation of powers.’”
Royce
C. Lamberth, District of Columbia District
Appointed
by Ronald Reagan
On a funding cut for the
agency overseeing Voice of America:
“It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of
arbitrary and capricious actions than the defendants’ actions here.”
Mary S.
McElroy, District of Rhode Island
Appointed by Donald Trump
On a
claim that an agency was not responsible for a funding freeze it had announced:
“In
short, the government asks the court ‘to overlook the simplest, most logical
explanation’ for what happened. The court declines.”
Lewis J.
Liman, Southern District of New York
Appointed by Donald Trump
On an
attempt to terminate New York City’s congestion-pricing plan:
“That
argument is nonsensical.”
William
G. Young, District of Massachusetts
Appointed
by Ronald Reagan
On a cut in funding for
research into health disparities:
“I have never seen
government racial discrimination like this.”
ALL
MATERIAL ABOVE QUOTED FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.
___
7/14/25: President
Trump shows up for a gathering of America’s faith leaders and business people, at
least the ones he likes, and assures them that Democrats are “evil,” and says that
all his legal troubles were “bullshit,” and claims he got impeached for “a
perfect phone call” to Ukraine.
Trump
also got into the spirit of the White House Faith Office meeting – because
nothing captures the spirit of Christianity quite like insulting a person who
is not there to respond – by attacking Rick Perry, his first term Secretary of Energy.
To be exact, he blamed Perry for making him make a call to Ukraine – during
which Donald was “made” to pressure the Ukrainians to find dirt of Joe and
Hunter Biden.
Or else
he would cut off their weapons supply.
Yes. All
Perry’s fault – even though, incongruously, Trump also says the call was
“perfect” that Rick made him make.
“I told
that secretary, who wasn’t the smartest bulb — Rick Perry. You don’t want him
on your debate team, let me put it that way,” Trump told the gathered faithful.
“But he’s the one that asked me to do it. Rick Perry. And I said, ‘Thanks Rick,
that was a wonderful suggestion. I just got [impeached] over your stupid call.’”
Trump added.
*
Mr.
Trump has blasted the following members of his first administration and more: Sec.
of Defense James Mattis, Sec. of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff
Sessions, his replacement Attorney General Bill Barr, U.N. Ambassador Nicki
Haley, and now Sec. Perry.
Also:
Elon Musk who served ever so briefly in Trump’s second administration.
He has never
blasted former Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, though – which is odd,
because Acosta had to resign his position after it was revealed he had made a
sweet deal with Jeffrey Epstein in 2008.
That
deal probably kept Epstein from spending the rest of his life behind bars and made
it possible for him to keep molesting girls for another ten years before justice
could finally be served.
Never a cross word for Acosta (right).
*
Also on
Monday, The Dumpling turned on another one of his friends. Namely, Vladimir
Putin, a guy he once called “genius” for invading Ukraine. Still unable to end the war he
said he could end in one day – 251 days ago – he put his foot down and
warned Vlad that if he didn’t agree to a peace deal in 50 days, he would really lower the boom. Donald
is counting on winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
The
president also went out of his way to blame his predecessor for starting the
war – which started in 2022, when Putin ordered the invasion.
*
Republicans
in Congress – at least the densest members in House and Senate – are warming to
the idea of Donald Trump and the White House taking over and running the
government of Washington D.C.
Sen.
Tommy Tubberville, who once proved unable to name the three branches of government (despite
being a member of one), said he’d love to see the president deal with all the
litter in the District of Columbia and added that he’d like to help. Tommy added
that he thought Washington was a “pigsty.”
(Give that man a pair of gloves and a trash bag and set his ass
to work.)
The
smarter members of the GOP, such as people who have read the Constitution, spotted
the authoritarian fly splashing in the federal government’s soup. Sen. Cynthia
Lummis told reporters she had missed the president’s previous remarks.
“I don’t
know what he means by ‘takeover,’” she offered, “but you know the Constitution
says D.C. is Congress’ responsibility.”
Sen.
Shelly Moore Capito sounded – let’s say – more optimistic, telling a reporter
that the president “isn’t going to take over cities.”
Although
we do know Trump also hinted at using federal power to take over New York, if
the “wrong” mayor were elected.
Cherry trees blossom in Washington D.C.
(Donald wants a 51st state. Why not D.C.!)
___
7/15/25: There’s
trouble in Trumpistan, MAGA folks. We learned today that year-over-year
inflation numbers ticked up in June, to 2.7% for the year.
Almost
as if President Trump’s plans to bring down prices aren’t working any better
than President Biden’s plans in 2024.
With
tariffs starting to kick in, it will probably get worse.
___
7/16/25: I
think we can all agree that Donald Trump is having a no good, stinking, rotten terrible
day. Now that his hand-picked minions have made it clear they will not release
the Epstein Files, The Dumpling and the dopes have found themselves targets of furious
criticism. That has much to do with the fact that Donald has spent his entire
political career ginning up conspiracy theories, and the poor MAGA chumps have
fallen for them all, dare we say, “hook, line and sinker?”
With The
Dumpling’s return to the White House in January, excitement on the right reached
fever pitch. Finally, Epstein’s pedophile pals would be revealed and half the
leaders in the Democratic Party would be exposed as Epstein enablers and
participants in pedophilic bacchanals.
Suddenly,
Team Trump announced: Never mind. Nothing to see here. Move on. Move on.
Pizzagate is over.
Nothing
to see but the pepperoni.
Today, the
president erupted and attacked his own followers in a bonkers Truth Social rant.
“I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our
Country’s history,” he bragged (of course, he did), “and all these people want
to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved
Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
Suddenly,
loyal MAGA types, who had stood by him through the pussy grabbing and the
impeaching, and the other impeaching, and the democracy destroying, Donald was accusing of being “weaklings.”
The Democrats’ “new SCAM is what we will
forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into
this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker,” Trump continued. “I don’t want their
support anymore!”
In an Oval Office meeting later, the
perturbed president kept up the whine. Why couldn’t his fans just get over all
those years of gorging on conspiracy theories, three square meals per day. And
snacks.
(Chem trails caused the recent Texas
flooding.)
(Obama was born in Kenya.)
(COVID was fake.)
“It’s all been a big hoax,” he said of the
Epstein Files story. “It’s perpetrated by the Democrats, and some stupid
Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net.”
“He’s dead, he’s gone,” Trump added,
referring to Jeffrey – whom he once called a “terrific guy.”
“Certain Republicans got duped by the
Democrats and the Democrat playbook,” he exclaimed.
Trump with Epstein, Eric and Ivanka also shown.
(I think Donald needed a hug.)
*
In other
MAGA News, Donald complains to reporters about Joe Biden (again), and fault his for
appointing Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell to head the U.S. Central Bank,
calling Powell a “terrible Fed chair.”
Trump
went on to say, “I was surprised he was appointed.”
Yes.
Biden…
Oh, no,
wait. Trump, now 79, and getting more confused by the week, now forgets that it
was he who put Powell in the chairman’s seat to begin. Biden simply appointed
him to a second term.
Even
better, Trump this week claimed that his Uncle John, a noted physicist who taught at
MIT, and helped develop radar systems during World War II, worked with Theodore
Kaczynski, later to become known as the Unabomber. Which would be a neat trick,
since Mr. Unabomber never actually attended… MIT.
Who appointed Powell!
FUN FACT: He
will if he sees the latest poll from Economist/YouGov. His approval rating has slipped to
41%, overall, with 55% disapproving.
To be fair, other polls are not so grim – and when I check the accuracy of these
polls vs. the accuracy of predictions about the 2024 election, I would say (sadly, in my opinion)
that The Dumpling is still not too far underwater – possibly approved by 46%,
disapproved by 51%, rounding up.
___
7/17/25: You
can’t say Donald Trump isn’t trying to Make America Great Again. This week, he announcedthat Coca-Cola will start using cane
sugar again, and not high-fructose corn syrup. Either way, drinking a lot of
sugary sodas will make you fat – and most Americans already are, including the
Lard Ass-in-Chief.
Also,
new Pentagon regulations will allow troops to sign up for laser hair removal, and the government (that is, the
taxpayer) will pay for it. And this is all part of ending “woke” policies and
enhancing military readiness!
*
“Very
savvy” invader.
Meanwhile
the war in Ukraine continues, and there is no peace in sight in Gaza, and
Donald is really, really frustrated with Vladimir Putin. This is almost funny,
because when Putin decided to invade Ukraine in 2022, Trump mused, “How smart
is that? And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper,” Trump said. “Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. I know him very well.”
When
asked by reporters about evidence that the Russians were kidnapping Ukrainian
children, Donald said such actions were “terrible,” but stressed that he “got along with [Putin] really well.”
(This did not help the families of the kidnapped children, or
the children.)
On
September 17, 2023, Putin responded to another round of kind words from The
Dumpling. “We surely hear that Mr. Trump says he will resolve all burning
issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but
feel happy about it.”
“Well,”
Donald said on hearing the news, “I like that he said that. Because that means
what I’m saying is right.”
(The slaughter continues apace.)
Putin
Love goes back to the earliest days of Donald’s appearance on the political
stage. In June 2016, we know – because he finally had to admit it – that his
son, his son-in-law, and his campaign manager agreed to meet with Russians offering
dirt on Hilary Clinton, to help ensure Trump was elected and not her.
And then
Team Trump kept that meeting secret for over a year.
And
let’s not forget 2018, when Donald met with the Russian leader in Helsinki, and
told a world audience that, yes, U.S. intelligence believed the Russians had
interfered in the 2016 election (see above), but you couldn’t fool Donald.
After meeting separately with his Russian counterpart, Trump strode to the
podium and announced, “President Putin says it’s not
Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
Now we know Donald is frustrated with Putin, and like a
weathervane, his views are swiveling, and he’s telling the Russians they have
fifty days to agree to negotiate a peace.
Good luck, Mr. President, with that.
Good buddies.
___
7/24/25: The long-suffering blogger
continues to fall behind, despite his most valiant attempts to chronicle the inept,
unbelievable, cruel actions of Trump 2.0. At this point, it seems impossible to
bring order out of chaos.
So, let’s begin.
Denizens of the Trump cabinet seem willing to stand truth on its
head, but not until they kick truth in the nuts. Consider the Environmental
Protection Administration, an agency now led by Lee Zeldin.
As Lee explained in March, he was setting the stage for “the greatest
day of deregulation our nation has seen.”
He promised, “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of
the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families,
unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more.”
Behind this façade you can be confident that leaders of Big Oil
and Big Coal are dancing round their boardrooms.
*
Candace Owens is not dancing, as the right-wing bomb thrower faces
a defamation suit filed against her by Brigette Macron, First Lady of France.
Owens has regaled her supporters with lurid tales of Brigette
masquerading as a woman, when in fact, Owens insists, she is a man.
This would mean Emmanuel Macron – bane of Donald Trump’s existence
– would be gay, and as a gay person, worthy of no respect from any right-wing
person. In fact, it could mean that the First Lady of France was a trans, which
would be even worse in MAGA land. And anything President Macron said would also
be, ipso facto, impossible to believe. Such as: “Jesus H. Christ. Climate
change is real.”
Which is what President Macron does say – as do scientists in
almost every country on the face of this heating globe.
Let us pause a moment to remind our loyal readers (all of whom
could fit in a three-row luxury SUV) that the full list of countries NOT signed
on to the Paris Climate Accords, which warn that climate change is a grave
threat, is – shall we say – short.)
If each nation unsigned were given a seat in a similar three-row
luxury SUV, it would be driven by:
The United States (Donald Trump at the wheel!).
Passengers would include:
Iran
Libya
Yemen
Lee Zeldin
Jeffrey Epstein’s ghost
(That’s the full list.)
FUN FACT: This First Lady/Secret Man Macron
story is a variant of the “Michele Obama is a man” line of right-wing non/thinking. And, of course, many MAGAs fall
for it as readily as children on Christmas Eve believe Santa soon be coming
down the chimney to deliver them the toys of their dreams.
*
In
happier news, President Trump has announced a bold plan to lower drug prices,
which I think we can all agree will have a 91% approval rating.
Possibly
142%?
Speaking
to the National Convention for Arithmetic Haters, he promised (for real) not to fiddle fuck with prices and lower
them 50% or 60%. No. He was going BIG, like 1000% or 660% or even 1500%.
He
really, really said that.
Josh Johnson's reaction is priceless.
*
No doubt
Trump supporters missed this story, but reporters for The New
York Times filed a story on July 26, noting that the capital of Iran, a
city of 9.7 million, was within weeks of running out of water.
Experts
warn that climate change is a contributing factor. In June, the heat index rose
to 149 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Iran, according to sites that track extreme weather, making
it one of the hottest places on Earth.
___
THE BLOGGER RAN OUT OF TIME AND WILL HAVE TO ADD TO HIS JULY
REPORT.
.jpg)
.jpg)
