More FAFO News!
Hi! More news has surfaced of people voting for Trump and then having voter regrets, or donating mullah to the mango guy’s inauguration fleshtivities and paying the consquences. Let’s do a shallow deep dive.
The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump for Prez back in September, 2024.
“Public safety and border security will be important issues in the last months of this campaign,” Yoes said. “Our members carefully considered the positions of the candidates on the issues and there was no doubt—zero doubt—as to who they want as our President for the next four years: Donald J. Trump.”
Well, looky here, the FOP has flipflopped on their enthusiastic endorsement of Trump just four days into the new term. How can that be when they have no doubt — zero doubt — about ‘who they want as our President for the next four years‘.
My gosh, what caused this? I admit that I was surprised and shocked by their endorsement of a felon for the highest office in the land, the person who ensures laws are enforced. I couldn’t imagine them endorsing him after the Jan 6 Capitol riots which he encouraged. What could possible cause a change of heart for the FOP?
Why, it was Trump’s pardoning of the 1500 or more Jan 6 insurrectionists. But in true bothsidesism fashion, they also dissed on President Biden for pardoning Native American activist Leonard Peltier for his alleged killing of two FBI agents in 1975.
At any rate, their change of heart means jack, given that the election was held months ago. They are some forward thinkers, aren’t they?
In San Fransisco, the owners of George’s Donuts & Merriment are getting backlash after the one part-owner donated a mill to Trump’s inauguration fete. Andrew Dudum decided to FAFO what his California patrons think of his political leanings. Many of their customers are reporting on Yelp that they will not support a business who supports Trump.
Which, you know, makes sense as Trump threatens to withhold Federal aid for rebuilding California from the wildfires still burning in the state. Of course, as ICE makes raids to arrest immigrants and migrant workers, Trump et al are going to FAFO that the agriculture and meat packing industries depend on these workers. Then we’ll witness some serious inflation, and there will be more FAFO news.
The Facebook War
Full transparency. I’m on Facebook. I don’t post to FB. Don’t share things on it, either. Not any longer. I’m there to check on friends and family around the world. As a social media site, FB used to be really good for that. It’s barely marginal for that purpose now.
The enshittification of Facebook is deeply underway. Andy Borowitz reports from the front lines on his skirmishes with them. Just as a final aside, I have also endured the same crap that he and his readers have shared. Things that violated their mythical ‘Community Standards’ when facts were posted. That was before the factcheckers were axed in the name of ‘free speech’.
Sure. We all believe that, Herr Zuckerberg.
Here’s Andy’s report. Enjoy.
Frieda’s Wandering Political Thoughts
I’ve written this before, and I’ll probably write it about three hundred forty-one times more this year: Donald Trump is a fucking idiot.
His latest is that President Zelensky of Ukraine should not have fought back when Russia was attacking them. Should have ‘negotiated’ with the Russian bully. Essentially, Trump advocates rolling over for terrorists, as that’s how Russia has been acting.
What is that World War II word that can be used in this context? Oh, yes: appeasement.
Of course, never short on words while bankrupt on thinking, Trump also claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine War before he was in office. “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” at a June MAGA rally in Philadelphia. Yet, here he is, days into his term and the war goes on.
What a bullshit artist he is.
Frieda’s Theme Music
Twenty-three days of 2025 are done.
Here we sit, on January 24, 2025. Looks much like yesterday in Ashlandia. Blue skies beckon you into cold — okay, coldish, 36 degrees F — air. We’re heading into 50 something degrees later, or so ‘they’ tell me.
Hear ’bout the new ‘constitutional amendment resolution’ proposed for Trump? Sure you have. Idea to sketch a work-around to let him and only him serve a third term. Because, in the GOP’s eyes, he’s been so brill. Man, they don’t let history or facts into their brains. And what arrogance and hubris, yeah? Days into his second term, and they’re declaring it a success.
You know, I read a David Brooks column in which he noted that Trump seems to long for the days between 1830 and 1899. Seems about right. Before vaccines were widespread and had mitigated so much death. Before the digital age, where lies are shown in techno sharpness, complete with date, time, and context. I’m sure Trump would much rather live in an era where his sloppy thinking and brazen bullshit doesn’t constantly reappear to bite him in the ass. As Brooks points out, sure, that’s a golden time back in that century, in those days, in certain ways, if you’re willing to whitewash history and gloss over some details like slavery, poverty, and women’s rights. Trump and the GOP are certainly willing to do that.
Today’s theme music was also the choice back in January, 2021. I‘m often surprised about how music seems to arrive in memory at the same time of the year. Anyway, today, Der Neurons have “Drive” by Incubus from 1999 circulating the morning mental music stream. The recurring chorus drives my beloved Neurons.
Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there
With open arms and open eyes, yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there
I’ll be there, yeah, ohh
h/t to Genuis.com
My eyes are open, and my arms will be open for positive change, and not the crap being levied on us now by the billionaire administration.
Coffee has approached me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. Here’s the music. Twenty-three days done. On into number twenty-four. Cheers
Tursda’s Theme Music
Sunshine is booming here in Ashlandia on January 23, 2025. It’s 46 degrees F. ‘They’ say that it feels like 51 F and that 52 F is possible, which, when it arrives, might feel like 55 or even 56! The big question pulsing through our small town is, will we see any snow this year? Smart money says it’s not happenin’ in January. Although people got a little titallated when a NextDoor poster shared news that’d spotted a snowflake the other day. I think she meant that in a meteorological sense and not the political sense.
Today’s theme music is dedicated to all those Trump voters and supporters out there. The ones so sure that the felon stands for law and order who he’s overruling juries and the judicial system and releasing killers and other criminals. This is for the Blacks who voted for the PINO who is rolling back civil rights. I’m sure those Black voters who didn’t like Kamala Harris because <fill it in> and instead voted for Trump are happy about that, right? As are those immigrants, illegal and otherwise, who will be affected by his campaign to turn America white. Those people who voted for Trump who love the outdoors and get out there to enjoy the fresh air might be sorely surprised as Trump’s deregulations darken the air with pollutants. This song is for them, too, cuz they probably won’t be going out there much any longer.
Yes, this song is dedicated to all the rights that will be gone in the name of freedom, all the religions which will suffer in the name of religion, all the justice that will flounder in the name of justice, and all the poor who will grow poorer in the name of, um, also freedom, the freedom of capitalism and greed unchecked. This song is dedicated also to logic and critical thinking, which are being tossed aside, and the history and heritage being trampled underfoot. This song is dedicated to opportunity which manifest from being educated in a good public school system. These things are all being undermined by Trump and his wealthy reactionary rogues as they pursue the enshittification of the United States.
Here, dedicated to all these things and more, courtesy of The Neurons, live from my morning mental music stream, is the late Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries with “When You’re Gone”.
Coffee and I have again worked out a balance, and the fluid is going in without interruption. Hope you enjoy the video and that you have a strong day in your personal life, wherever you may be. Cheers
Tursda’s Wandering Political Thoughts
Good morning! Hope you’re doing well! Probably not feelin’ too good if you’re a senior citizen watching their mone who voted for Trump!
Over on Crooks & Liars, Red Painter offers a nice FAFO summary of how Trump is looking out for seniors and the poor by wiping out former President Biden’s drug price cuts! Well, they were warned. And, like many others, they are reaping what they sowed.
Of course, eliminating these price cuts will mean less money for other important things, like food, utilities, housing, and clothing. But no worries! Trump is fixin’ inflation, so all that will be coming down. Yes, he’s ordering the Federal Executive Branch to lower inflation! Will it work? Well, he’ll claimed it did! Who will the MAGAts believe, him or their pocketbooks? Why, him! Of course!
Part of his plan is to just order more housing! Yes, he make it happen. The Federal government can’t create those houses, so it sounds like this free-market capitalist is planning on using the Federal gubmint’s power to make it so.
And those tariffs he’s ordering? That won’t affect inflation at all, no sir! Cuz, he’s ordering the rest of the world to pay for them, setting up a new agency, the External Revenue Agency, to collect the monies. Sure, it has everyone confused because it’s bizarro land in its thinking. And sure, it will increase the size of the government and add to the cost of government, because he’s adding more — another department, more people, more technology. And yes, it probably won’t be an effective agency, because it’s Trump! Just like Trump Air, Trump Steaks, Trump University, and all those other Trump-failed endeavors.
But we’ll just need to wait for the next issue of FAFO to emerge for us to know. Shouldn’t be long, though.
Should not be long.
WTF, America?
It’s another WTF, America news item today, courtesy of Alabama. This story happened Sunday, but the news is spreading. A couple were in a car. It had hit a deer. A man stopped to help them. They walked to a nearby house. Naturally, the 34 year-old man in the house shot at them. Killed the person who’d stopped to help. The driver was armed and returned fire. He and the resident were both injured and taken to the hospital.
That’s ‘Merica too often these days. Someone asks for help, and someone else tries to kill them. Sad, sad, state.
Wezda’s Theme Music
Cold and bright, Ashlandia has reared up out of the darkness anew. It’s January 22, 2025, and now 36 F, ten degrees above the morning’s start. Fog, precipitation, and that sort of thing has abandoned the area, leaving sunshine a clear path. ‘They’ tell me our high will be 56 F today. And again, continuing a trend — three days! — this looks attainable.
I had a song loaded in the morning mental music stream. Then I read that John Sykes, guitarist associated with Whitesnake, died at 65. So The Neurons brought in “Still of the Night” in memory of Sykes. Ah, such music. Classic metal hair band. Rarely listened to it but was familiar with it due to being in clubs and radio rotation. Coverdale is the vocalist and I was a fan from his earlier efforts with other groups and songs.
Coffee has presented a peace offering. Be strong, and keep rocking. Here’s the music. Cheers
Twosda’s Theme Music
Mood: coffeetoxicated
It’s raining abundant sunshine down on us on this, Twosda, January 21, 2022. Temperature is up to 30 F after landing at 26 F overnight. ‘They’ inform me that today’s high will exceed 50 F. It’s all possible, from the general appearance, and we did do it yesterday.
All this is better than my sister’s world back in Pennsylvania. She texted me that it was either snowing heavily or the wind was blowing the existing snow around. Either way, there was a lot of white stuff obscuring vision. She was at work on her midday when she reported this to me. She reported that the temperature was 5 degrees F. That’s barking cold, brothers and sisters.
Today’s music came from a mental exercise. I was on a news blackout yesterday. So I was unleashed in my net surfing. I soon hooked a clickline about the 50 greatest one-hit wonders. I decided to brainstorm and see how many I came up with. About half was the reckoning. Guess I needed more coffee. One song that I missed was “Criminal” by Fiona Apple. Weird thinking of her as a one-hit wonder, because I know a few other songs she released which were hits, but here we are. Naturally, after seeing it on the list, The Neurons carried it into the morning mental music stream, where they’ve released it on a loop. So I share with you to free myself.
Coffee has offered to pour into my mouth and invade my system and kick my energy into a higher gear. I gladly accepted. Here’s the music. Let’s light the fuse on the day. Cheers
Michael Seidel, writer 