Tag: Donald Trump

Thirstdaz Wandering Political Thoughts

Is this a dull-witted regime occupying the building formerly called the White House?

I say yes!

After Dippy Donny’s regime shuttered the U.S. Institute of Peace earlier in 2025 and left the building empty and the work undone, the regime now renamed the building the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace. Perfectly droll of this administration, who are all pretense and no substance when it comes to peace and finding peace. Trump always believes he can bully others into peace. “Take our deal, or else.” He claims he’s ended 60 billion wars, including several that ended before his father was born. (Yeah, that last sentence is some hyperbole, right there.)

But an empty building is a great symbol of an empty head and their empty efforts.

Meanwhile, the Roberts Court hurriedly and unsurprisingly ruled the Texas partisan gerrymandering was right on! Yeah, that’s good, the hard right court said.

Supreme Court revives pro-Republican Texas voting map sought by Trump

We also have more insight into Trump’s thinking and planning, or the lack of it, is what I should write. A new architect has been brought in to work on Trump’s new ballroom. That architect will submit their submit official plans to the National Capital Planning Commission ‘soon’.

White House brings in new architect for Trump’s sprawling $300 million ballroom

~snip~

Initially estimated to cost $200 million, Trump said in October that the new ballroom would cost about $300 million. The entire amount is being paid by donors, including him, he said. It’s “going to be probably the finest ballroom ever built, and we’re doing it to no cost to the country,” Trump said then.

~snip~

Isn’t that just like Trump? “Look how great and grand my building will be. All for just $200. Oh, wait maybe more.”

Sounds like Trump had more of a concept of a ballroom. Just like he has more of a concept of a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act.

I’m beginning to believe the great Trump Wall will be finished first and Mexico will pay for it before the ballroom is finished.

O-oh say, can you see, how affordable everything is getting? New reporting is about rising energy costs. Before we jump into the rising costs, let’s look back at 2024, when Duplicitous Donny was campaigning and making promises:

“We’re going to get your energy prices down. We’re going to get your energy prices down by 50%.”

PBS NewsHour, Trump speaks at campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, YouTube
 (August 17, 2024). 

More at Doggett.house.gov

Now, let’s look at what’s going on in 2025 after almost eleven months of Trump rule.

The secret behind your skyrocketing energy costs

Stephanie Tate couldn’t figure it out. After three years of living in her new Illinois home, her winter energy costs last year suddenly spiked to $400 per month.

She had three different technicians come to look at her HVAC system and furnace, but nothing was wrong with it. She had her home insulation inspected and found no issues. She installed new, energy efficient windows to stop cold air from leaking into the house.

“It still didn’t make a dent,” she said.

In the summer, her bills were even higher, driven by the cost of the electricity needed to run her air conditioner. Tate tried to use her heat and cooling sparingly in hot and cold months.

“In the winter, I keep my heat well below 68 — and it gets cold here, so you just bundle up,” Tate said. “In the summer, my AC is at 75. I’m dealing with a little warm weather inside my house.”

Diving into her bills, Tate found something surprising. Her electricity bill’s delivery fees — the costs customers pay to help maintain electric infrastructure like the poles and wires carrying power to their homes — were often just as high as the cost of the electricity she used.

~snip~

“That’s ridiculous,” she said. “You’re paying more for everything right now, and the electrical costs — the way they increase so exponentially and so quickly is stunning to me.”

~snip~

The nation’s electricity infrastructure is old, and utilities across the country have recently been pouring money into upgrading it; in just five years, US utilities increased their spending by $5 billion on transmission (the massive high-voltage towers carrying electricity from one region to another) and another $16 billion on distribution (the smaller substations, poles and wires).

Electric utilities are making “essential investments” to strengthen the grid, said Drew Maloney, president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, an electric utility trade group.

“Our electric grid is America’s most important machine — and we have to make sure it works reliably every day for families, businesses, and local communities,” Maloney said in a statement to CNN.

Part of that investment is driven by new demand growth. Electricity demand in the US used to be pretty flat. Now, demand is exploding primarily from data centers, along with new manufacturing and home and vehicle electrification. Power demand from data centers alone is projected to reach 106 gigawatts in the next decade, according to a report from research firm BloombergNEF.

~snip~

As I read it, residential consumers are funding the need for new electricity for corporations building new facilities that need a lot more energy. That will make those corporations more money, and greater profits, and pay less taxes. And those CEOs will see higher pay and greater bonuses and pay less taxes while Stephanie Tate and other Americans fund the growth.

That’s how it goes in Trump’s United States. Bend over and grab your ankles, if you’re less than a billionaire. As Trump himself warned you, “WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!)”

With tariffs signed, Trump warns of ‘pain’ to come for Americans

How long will it take us to take the lesson to heart that Trump does not give a shit about anyone except the ultra-wealthy and himself?

3

Wenzdaz Wandering Political Thoughts 2

We are so polarized in the United States in the second decade of the 2000s.

Yeah, that’s not news.

Last election for the POTUS in 2024, we had those on the right screaming about President Biden’s sleeping. They declared him feeble. ‘They’, egged on by Donald Trump and JD Vance, raged about President Biden’s enfeebled state. In their eyes, he was too old, too tired. And who should replace that enfeebled, tired president, the one called Sleepy Joe by Donald J Trump?

Why Donald J. Trump, of course! A year younger but so much more energetic, they declared. Despite his haggard appearance. Despite the photos of him sleeping at his trial in 2024.

Trump is what we need, they cried. Despite his felony convictions. Despite his business failures. He tells it like it is! Despite his well-documented lies. Despite his hatred, and his use of slurs against people, especially women and the handicapped. Despite his three marriages and payments to a woman for sex.

They thought Trump would lower prices through tariffs. Reduce inflation! Bring back jobs! Increase the prestige, success, and conditions in the United States.

The rest of us thought this weird. Trump had already been POTUS. He’d not accomplished anything he promised. His biggest broken promises were not building the wall that Mexico would pay for. He’d been twice impeached. He instigated insurrection against the United States and tried to overturn the election results when he lost.

Trump didn’t replace the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare, he mocked it — as he promised. Trump never even rolled out a concept in four years plus.

Trump said he would ‘never golf’ or ‘take vacation’ because he’d be too busy working for the nation. Trump has since golfed more than any POTUS. He’s golfed about 25% of his time in office in 2025.

And Trump, Trump, is the only POTUS to have the government shutdown three times. His third government shutdown, the Trump Epstein Shutdown of 2025, is the longest on record.

Now Trump has established new records. Through Trump’s orders, 80 people, strangers to the United States, as we rarely know their names, or their records, or any evidence against them, have been murdered in international waters, a violation of U.S. and international law.

Through Trump, U.S. citizens are being turned against one another through his deployment of unneeded national guard and military units. He offers flimsy excuses and reasons, declaring that the places where he’s deploying them are burning, when there is no evidence at all of these things happening.

Through Trump, tourism and travel to the United States is cratering. Through Trump, prices are rising and affordability is falling.

Trump makes money on being POTUS. He pushes products with his name on them, like his Bible, his gold shoes, his gold cell phone. He’s destroying the White House, having it torn down, over the objections of We the People.

And weirdly, weirdly, through all of this, some part of the United States population declares that Trump represents the best of us.

The rest of us recoil in horror. We think Trump represents the worst of us.

Trump’s greed is not the best of the United States. His failed businesses are not the best of the United States. His lies, womanizing, and cheating are not the best of the United States. His lawlessness and childish mocking of other people are not the best of the United States. His ranting on Truth Social is not the best of the United States. His wanton disappearing people based on the color of their skin or their accents, without any due process, is not the best of the United States. His killing of citizens from other nations without due process is not the best of the United States. His persecution of political opponents is not the best of the United States. Nor is his greed, avarice, and shallow thinking the best of the United States.

Twisted and polarized. This is what we are. The real question for us is, where do we go from here, in 2025, as we near the end of just the first year of Trump’s second term?

Many of us are holding our breath as 2026 approaches. Because we do not know what Trump will do next. And given his lawlessness and the way he’s breaking our nation, chances are, whatever he does, it will not be good for anyone except Donald J. Trump.

3

Twozdaz Theme Music

Another cold morning, although that stuff is relative. Cold for us for December 2, 2025, is 32 F on awakening. Climbed to 39 F now. Been sunny and clear all morning on this frosty Twozda. Looking for a high in the low to mid 50s.

Read that Trump fired some immigration judges in New York. They’ve probably been following the law and ruling in accordance with same, following rules of evidence and procedures, and going by precedence. All that is a no-no in Trump’s alter reality where his rule is law in accordance with standard playground rules where he’s the bully who gets to say what’s what. Judges are suing him for wrongful termination, adding to his stress levels. COSTCO is also suing the Trump Regime for the tariffs. COSTCO ate the tariffs instead of passing them on; now they want Deceiving Donny’s regime to pay back the tariffs because they were illegally declared and collected. Besides that, TACO is still sweating out Epstein files details, faces declining popularity due to rising prices, persistent failures, has had his attorneys general declared illegal, lost some court cases, and is using words or doing things that are finally pushing Republicans to say, “Enough.” Glad they’re starting to catch up. The rest of us have been shouting, “Enough,” since 2016.

WordPress tells me my stats are booming! Again. This seems to happen every seven to ten days, starting a few months back. I suspect bots seeking commentary on Trump. Don’t know who’s sending the bots or what they’ll do with the information they collect. So far, it just intermittently drives up my traffic.

The music today comes by way of convo with my wife. This is in conjunction with discussing something we were talking about buying. As part of the conversation, there was discussion about driving to a place that’s not real close but not real far, you know? Far enough that it’ll take gas and time but not so far that we’d need to stay overnight. Anyway, in this day and age, the alternative is to go online. So it was a question of “Do we want to go all that way?” Yes, we are essentially lazy.

Anyway, catching the surface vibes, The Neurons responded with a song from the 1970s by a group called the Raspberries, “Go All the Way”. The conversation was late last night but the song is stuck in the morning mental music stream. Found an interesting video of the song being ‘performed’. Looked like a classic lip-syncing event on The Mike Douglas Show. Wow, remember it?

The vocalist is Eric Carmen. After the band broke up, he went on to a successful solo career. Remember “Hungry Eyes” and “All By Myself”? Same guy. He also co-wrote “Almost Paradise”. He died in 2024, 74 years old.

Got my coffee in me and it’s time to rock on. Peace and grace aren’t here yet, but it could be the cold keeping them away. Maybe if I travel to somewhere warmer, I’ll find them there. But I’m not up to a trip today. Here we go. Cheers

0

Mundaz Wandering Political Thoughts

I’ve read a number of recent pieces about the economy. They focus mostly on the confusion now seen in the U.S. economy. Why tariffs didn’t increase prices as much as expected. Why customers are so negative about the economy when the numbers aren’t bad. Why consumer spending remains up while consumer confidence is down.

Trump’s antics play much into their impressions. He’s broken trade agreements. Then, by leveling tariffs on everything in the name of national security, he’s shifted expectations. Prices are expected to increase due to tariffs. So are shortages due to tariffs and trade wars. These factors advance negative perceptions of what’s to come. Paul Krugman refers to this as vibecessions. These are vibes that a recession is coming, that the economy is not really doing well.

Well, for one, there’s been some surprise in the tariffs. The effective rate has turned out to be much lower than the declared rates. Part of this is because most economists expect Trump’s tariffs to be declared illegal and withdrawn. They suspect companies are eating much of the tariff costs for the short term so they won’t lose customers. This makes sense, if they expect the tariffs to be short-lived. It also makes sense if you compare the cost of finding and luring new customers to your business compared to the cost of keeping them. Getting new customers is much harder and more expensive. Loyalty, once broached, is very expensive. Then, when the tariffs are withdrawn, companies can, as necessary raise prices under other pretenses.

As for employment and unemployment, economists suggest this is because of uncertainty with the economy. Part of this is due not just to reporting confusion (more on that below), but because of the economic activity being generated by cryptocurrencies and AI developments. Both are areas where vast investments are being made. Both are relatively new. Their actual impact on the economy is uncertain.

This is especially true with AI. Artificial Intelligence. It’s here, but meaningful impact from using artificial intelligence in business to increase productivity and profits is slow to emerge. Meanwhile, huge centers are being built to support AI. These are expensive centers. Their need for electricity will drive up energy costs if they’re not countered by the construction of new energy sources. The Trump Regime’s deliberate decisions to cut funds to build solar and wind farms to generate more electricity puts the nation way behind planning and building new power sources.

Additionally, with so many huge AI centers being built, there will be some which don’t successfully compete and then fail. Think back if you can to when personal computers came onto the scene. So many businesses sprang up to build computers to fill this new need. Likewise, look at the airline industry when commercial airline travel was growing, and how many airlines sprang up and then either got bought up or shut down and faded away. Same with automobile manufacturing. Video renting. Streaming services. Malls. Craft beers and micro breweries. Each advance is littered with the remains of failures.

Plus, there is some fallout that’s going to grow because of provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill. What it will do to healthcare costs aren’t clear. Premiums for many seem to be climbing. How this load on their spending patterns hasn’t been clearly demonstrated. Likewise, cuts to SNAP, school systems, college enrollment, are still to be expected. As Federal funds don’t make it to the state level, state funding doesn’t reach local levels, affecting the economy at multiple levels. Then, too, there is the declining tourism, especially from foreign locations. It’s affecting state economies who depend on tourism, but how deeply will they be affected is the looming question.

Additionally, I think many consumers might be like my wife and me. In my house, we made many purchases with the expectations that the economic crap is going to encounter the economic fan, so buy now, while prices aren’t too bad, while the stuff is available, while we can. Basically, it’s spend more now because we can’t buy later. We deliberately stockpiled things we regularly use, like coffee and canned and processed foods from other countries. We do replenish as we can now, using the same rational.

Beyond those things, we know that Trump is a liar. We’ve also noticed that those surrogates in Trump’s Regime who speak out in public are liars. Not just liars but do everything possible to prop Trump and all things Trump up and light it up in the best possible light. As Trump via DOGE slashed through the government, he broke many things. Among them is the reporting mechanism for several economic indicators. He flat removed people who gave truthful numbers, such as the BLS. That burned him, so he burned them. That’s just the things that came out in public. What’s going on behind in the dark can only be guessed out.

That leaves us confused. Can we trust Trump and the numbers his administration releases? Fuck no. Only fools and sycophants believe those numbers. With that uncertainty, businesses struggle to make any long-term plans, because reality might catch up any day now.

Trump thinks he can keep up his numbers game and lies. We know that’s not true; we see prices rising, causing the affordability issues we’re now facing.

We also have Trump’s personal history. That history shows that Trump’s lies are always exposed. He lied about his accomplishments, his wealth, his businesses, and his prospects. Each time, those were exposed. He was taken to court. Convicted. Filed for bankruptcies to escape his mistakes. Cheated on taxes. Stole money from charities he or his family set up. Used word games and sleight of hand and secrecy to build himself up. But it all catches up to him. Right now, we’re waiting to see what the Epstein files show who he and what he’s done. Trump has been fighting like hell to keep that from happening.

So that’s the thing, for me. Beyond the numbers, there is a simple truth: Trump is a failure who lives behind a curtain of deception. But that curtain keeps getting torn open. When it does this time, it’s going to be a freaking mess.

2

Sundaz Wandering Political Thoughts

Sometimes, good news seeps in through the cracks in the new authoritarian government Trump is attempting to establish.

We may have seen a few such cracks.

The Trump Regime has been attacking and destroying ships. These are purported to be Venezuelan. Purported to be drug dealers transporting drugs destined for the United States. Purported to be narco terrorists.

Trump, a royal ass, doesn’t believe that the Constitution, laws, precedence, or rules of engagement applies to him. This recipe is equal parts arrogance, ignorance, wealth, and enablement. The enablement and complicity to make Dizzy Donny think and do as he does rides in on the shoulders of Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation, the Roberts Court, and Congressional Republicans. That includes those Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, who didn’t think it necessary to do anything about Trump after Donny T was impeached. Twice. With this foundation, the Trump Regime doesn’t bother providing evidence about the truth of what they’re doing when they attack and kill non-combatants on the open seas using the military. So what if they kill innocents; Trump is worried about getting into heaven and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s so dense, he doesn’t understand how all his actions, every day, conspire to let either of those ever happen outside of the altered reality where he plots and gloats.

Now, though, some lawmakers are saying, hey, that shit that you’re doing is illegal. Using Seal Team 6 to kill civilians on your own sayso isn’t how it works, and we’re going to investigate.

Lawmakers voice support for congressional reviews of Trump’s military strikes on boats

Republicans and Democrats are saying these are potential crimes and need to be investigated. The problem, as we know from history, is that Republicans have twin habits of dropping their principles when Trump is involved, and stonewalling efforts to learn the truth. Adept at lying and twisting logic, the provide enough cover that they can hold out until a new distraction arises and the public and press drift their attention away. We can only hope that there were be truthful, honest, and principled investigations that result in legal action. I wouldn’t put any money on it, though.

Our second ray of feeble sunshine cracks in via the Pentagon. What, the Pentagon? Really? Home to the peace-loving Duplicitous Donny’s House of War and its drunken mouthpiece, Hegseth the angry inch?

Cast your thinking back eleven days.

Slotkin, Kelly lead Democrats in military, intelligence appeal: ‘You can refuse illegal orders’

That appeal spun the Trump regime up like a broken overwound top, especially that triumvirate of thickwitted tiny-brains, Trump, Miller, and Hegseth. Immediately seeking some way to counter this, they shouted, “Sedition!” Trump called the six Democrats “traitors” on social media, arguing “they should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.” Never mind that whole freedom of speech thing. Or politics and political opposition. Etc.

Now a plethora of articles and experts are emerging suggesting that prosecuting Senator Kelly is probably going to fail, much in the same way that Trump’s attempts to prosecute Jame Comey and Letitia James resulted in a lot of egg on the faces of those executing Trump’s orders.

Experts Doubt the Pentagon Can Punish Kelly Over the ‘Illegal Orders’ Video

Doubts raised over Mark Kelly’s illegal orders punishment

Won’t stop Trump and Hegseth from trying, of course. Their ignorance runs too deep.

Of course, what Senator Kelly and the other Democrats said is well understood by U.S. military members. A poll published in the Military Times several months ago reiterated their understanding.

4 in 5 US troops surveyed understand duty to disobey illegal orders

With his Aug. 11, 2025, announcement that he was sending the National Guard — along with federal law enforcement — into Washington, D.C. to fight crime, President Donald Trump edged U.S. troops closer to the kind of military-civilian confrontations that can cross ethical and legal lines.

Indeed, since Trump returned to office, many of his actions have alarmed international human rights observers. His administration has deported immigrants without due process, held detainees in inhumane conditions, threatened the forcible removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and deployed both the National Guard and federal military troops to Los Angeles to quell largely peaceful protests.

When a sitting commander in chief authorizes acts like these, which many assert are clear violations of the law, men and women in uniform face an ethical dilemma: How should they respond to an order they believe is illegal?

~snip~

Yes, it’s not much sunshine. We take what we can. We must remain patient, hopeful, but proactive, resist as we can, when we can.

If we can.


2

Satyrdaz Wandering Political Thoughts

The Sundowner-in-Chief is trying to assign blame for things going wrong to President Biden.

It’s all a distraction, of course, a classic page from the ‘It’s Everyone Else’s Fault!’ Donald Trump playbook. In this instance, Dizzy Donny thinks he can arbitrarily decide that President Biden’s autopen use was illegal. Therefore, everything signed by President Biden is null and void. Yep, Dozy Donny sez he’s cancelling it all.

Trump Says He’s Canceling Every Biden Executive Order Signed With Autopen

After bragging that this year’s Thanksgiving meals were marginally cheaper than the year before, President Donald Trump is continuing to spread holiday cheer. On Friday, the president vowed to cancel all executive orders signed by President Joe Biden using an autopen.

On Truth Social, Trump claimed that “Sleepy Joe Biden” signed 92 percent of documents with the machine, which is used to automate signatures. “The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States,” he wrote. “The Radical Left Lunatics circling Biden around the beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office took the Presidency away from him. I am hereby cancelling all Executive Orders, and anything else that was not directly signed by Crooked Joe Biden, because the people who operated the Autopen did so illegally. Joe Biden was not involved in the Autopen process and, if he says he was, he will be brought up on charges of perjury. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

~snip~

Does this make sense? No. Totally illogical, par for Trump’s thinking. Is it legal? Absolutely not. Is it dumber than a bucket of golf balls? Yep, and that makes it sooo Trumpdiculous. Is it outrageously hypocritical, given how many times Sundowning Donny has used the autopen? Well, of course! This is Trump. With his popularity falling fast, he’s desperately lunging out at shadow monsters. The odds that the United States will attack another nation are probably going up, desperate as he’s getting. There’s been so much losing for Donny T, and there’s a lot more losing looming on the horizon.

Another unsurprising headline arose today.

Trump Again Funneling Money From Political Committees He Runs Into His Own Pocket

Well, my jaw just fell open when I read that. Not.

Thieving Donny is funneling money. Again. Of course. His greed is only surpassed by his lying and cheating. Here it is, a three-fer-one. He’s funneled money for charities to himself to the past, so why would anyone expect anything else? He’s never been punished for all of his stealing and cheating and lying. People, the press, and governments all give him a pass, again and again. And this is their reward: he’s cheating them, he’s cheating the nation, and he’s cheating We the People. He’ll continue to until the breathing air is gone and the sun is just a bright star in the nighttime.

The House of Trump does seem to be wobbling more each day. Fer ‘xample, Melania’s ‘meme’ coin has lost some value. From the WSJ via Raw Story:

Melania ‘meme coin’ value bottoms out as Trump brands collapse: WSJ

Supporters of Donald Trump, who believed everything he touches turns to gold, are finding out the hard way that investing in the president has turned into a bad bet.

According to a Saturday report from the Wall Street Journal, since Trump was inaugurated in January, shares in the parent company behind the president’s Truth Social platform have spiraled downward 75 percent and the numbers for Trump-branded “meme coins” have suffered a worse fate as of late.

~snip~

Amazon is in bed with the Trumps again.

Melania Trump launches production company ahead of documentary

Producing and starring in a buzzy documentary about her prominent yet under-the-radar life was just the beginning for Melania Trump, who has now launched her own production company.

The first lady announced the launch of “Muse Films” on social media with a brief video unveiling its official logo.

The company will make its debut with the upcoming film titled “Melania,” which is slated to release in theaters nationwide Jan. 30 and later on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.

The documentary showcases the 20 days before the former model returned to the White House following President Donald Trump‘s inauguration on Jan. 20.

~snip~

So, from that and other articles, I’d say it’s not about Melania’s life, just a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny slice. She’s not going to reprise her nude modeling career in this film. I don’t think Jeffrey Epstein will be mentioned, even though he may have been the vehicle through which the doggishly-loyal Trump met his third wife.

Overboard and over the top. That’s Duplicitous Donny. An Afghan refugee was involved in a shooting in D.C. You probably read, heard, saw that news. The individual shot two West Virginia National Guard units in D.C. when they were shot by the Aghani.

Naturally, Trump responded with a thoughtful, nuance take – NOT! Instead, he vowed to permanently pause immigration from a number of nations and whipped out his autopen to make it so.

Trump Promises to Pause Migration From ‘Third World Countries’ After D.C. Shooting

Because, yeah, that’s the root of the problem, right? Almost 48,000 gun murders were reported in the U.S. in 2023. How many of those does Trump think were done by immigrants? Oh, sorry, I wrote ‘Trump’ and ‘think’, which do not conjugate anywhere except Dopy Donny’s alter world. Trump doesn’t think. He makes crazy, baseless decrees which he believes demonstrates that he is strong, intelligent, and on top of everything. Instead, his solutions are often problematic, rife with flawed logic and fallacy, and often are dangerous and malicious.

People are catching up with Trump’s scam. The economy is tanking and so are his polls. Many are breaking with Dizzy Donny over what Trump called Gov. Waltz during Dozy Don’s unhinged Thanksgiving Day rant. Others are breaking with him over the Ukraine ‘Peace Plan’, which is a Russia giveaway.

The man is going nowhere but down, and all the money and gold in the world isn’t going to change that.

I hope.

2

Satyrdaz Theme Music

Ashlandia had another foghold morning. Temps were in the 30s on the F scale. They’ve now punched up to 41. Most fog has done an Oregon goodbye. Sunshine, blue skies, and thin clouds have slipped in to serenade the weary autumn landscape. 55 F is the hoped-for high. This is Satyrda, November 29, 2025.

The Neurons have been busy with dreams when I sleep. So many, and many are very long and richly detailed, it takes a while to mentally review and catalogue them each morning. The dreams seem to be churning up other thinking and memories. A song I don’t recall hearing in a long time is in the morning mental music stream. The song is “Never Been Any Reason”. It’s straight outta the 1970s. I enjoy the song’s vocalizations and harmonies, and its changing tempo. But The Neurons couldn’t answer why they were playing it in the MMMS today or who the group behind it was. I could only remember something about a head. Had to look it up to learn it was Head East.

Read a Trump classic in the NYTimes this morning.

Trump Announces Pardon for Honduran Ex-President Convicted in Drug Case

Juan Orlando Hernández was accused of receiving millions in bribes and partnering with cocaine traffickers. He was convicted in Manhattan in 2024 and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

President Trump announced on Friday afternoon that he would grant “a Full and Complete Pardon” to a former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who, as the center of a sweeping drug case, was found guilty by an American jury last year of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

The news came as a shock not only to Hondurans, but also to the authorities in the United States who had built a major case and won a conviction against Mr. Hernández. They had accused him of taking bribes during his campaign from Joaquín Guzmán, the notorious former leader of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico known as “El Chapo,” and of running his Central American country like a narco state.

The judge in his case, P. Kevin Castel, had called Mr. Hernández “a two-faced politician hungry for power” who masqueraded as an antidrug crusader while partnering with traffickers. And prosecutors had asked the judge to make sure Mr. Hernández would die behind bars, citing his abuse of power, connections to violent traffickers and “the unfathomable destruction” caused by cocaine.

~snip~

‘Shock and surprise.’ After Dizzy Donny pardoned all the J6 criminals, I’m not at all shocked and surprised by this one. Hernández was called “a two-faced politician hungry for power” who masqueraded as an antidrug crusader while partnering with traffickers. That description defines Donny T quite effectively. The proof is that he keeps saying he’s against drugs, attacking Venezuelan ships without providing any evidence that there are drugs or smugglers onboard, and then releases actual convicted drug dealers and criminals. That’s life through TACO’s looking glass. Claims he’s the law-and-order president who regularly breaks and law, claims he ‘backs the blue’, and then releases people who killed actual police officers.

Peace and grace haven’t shown up yet. Maybe they’re waiting for just the right moment. Till then, I’ll coffee up for one more sally into the world. Here we go. Cheers

2

Twozdaz Wandering Political Thoughts

It’s just a few days before the annual food-shopping-football orgy called Thanksgiving in the United States. And man, Trump has ramped up his incessant gobbling.

Affordability? “Gobble gobble,” Trump says. “Just a another Democrat con job,” the great Con-in-Chief declares.

Sure, who you gonna believe? Your wallet and bank account, or Dizzy Donny, a practiced and regular liar? TACO insists prices are down. Independent data sources say otherwise. Overall, for me, personally, prices are up. But once again, Trump exposed his own lies when he declared prices were down and that consumers don’t pay tariffs, and then declared he was lowering tariffs to reduce prices.

Just like the Epstein files, isn’t it? “Democratic hoax,” Dozy Donny woke up and shouted, over and over and over, fearful of what the files say about him and his former BFF, J. Epstein. One thing which has become clear is that Epstein thought that Trump was evil and stupid. Crazy. “The worst person he’d ever known.”

Seems like a pretty accurate assessment.

Dizzy Donny Trump and future with with Trump’s BFF, Jeffrey Epstein.

If you do believe Trump, ask him where the Trump mobile phones are. Orders are in, but phones aren’t being delivered. And they’ve apparently veered away from that ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ promise. Trump will blame someone else for the lack of deliveries and the manufacturing location. That’s TACO’s MO. No disaster or deception is ever his fault, no matter how much his fingerprints and name are on it. Talk about hoaxes and deceptions. He’s a walking deception.

The Trump Mobile phone is nowhere to be found after months of delay

“Sedition!” Trump bellows. “Gobble gobble gobble.” Too many experts quickly explained in the press and on the net that sedition doesn’t mean what Trump thinks it means. Dozy Donny is hungry for distractions and some kind of victory. Senator Mark Kelly and five other Democrats gave Trump an opening in his eyes, when they reminded military members that their oath is to the U.S. Constitution, and not to the POTUS, and that they have a moral obligation to not obey illegal orders.

Of course, what is an ‘illegal’ order for the military? That’s thorny as hell. When a subordinate is given an order by a superior, it’s inferred that it’s legal. It takes moral courage to stand up and say, “That’s an illegal order. I’m not doing it.” Many people lack that backbone to directly challenge authority. The Just Security website has collected multiple opinions about the legality of Trump’s attacks on unarmed civilian Venezuelan boats and Slate article provided a thoughtful summary about the situation.

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers

One opinion on Just Security shares JD Vance’s reaction to comments about the legality.

~snip~

In the early days after the first lethal strike, Vice President J.D. Vance gleefully said he “didn’t give a shit” whether the strike was illegal. And after government officials have (totally implausibly) suggested that the strikes are part of an armed conflict against the cartels, the President shrugged his shoulders at a reporter’s question about seeking a “declaration of war” from Congress, responding that “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be, like, dead.”

~snip~

And there it is, nicely encapsulated in that reaction and paragraph: the TACO Regime just doesn’t give a shit about the law. Get it yet?

The GOP practices of lying and bullshitting the public continues at a brisk pace. The weekly feature, “Congressional Cowards” in Daily Kos covered the phenomena of GOP lawmakers now trying to get credit for the release of the Epstein files after fighting them.

Republicans who dodged Epstein vote now want credit

GOP lawmakers are patting themselves on the back over the fact that President Donald Trump will now be forced to release the Epstein files.

Of course, the lawmakers who now want credit for the virtually unanimous passage of the bill don’t deserve it. For months, they either stayed silent as Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked a vote on the bill or made excuses for their delay tactics.

In actuality, just four Republicans can take credit for the success of the legislation.

~snip~

But the one who really pissed me off was a rep. out of Texas. His releases about the Epstein files parrot Dizzy Don to a tee.

~snip~

But perhaps the most shameless Republican is Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas. Before the discharge petition succeeded, Nehls wrote on X that he would be “voting NO on the Epstein Hoax.”

“The Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax to distract us from the winning of President Trump and his administration,” he wrote. “My message to my Republican colleagues: Don’t let this noise keep us from delivering on the mandate the American people gave us.”

But Nehls quickly changed his vote to a “yes” once Trump gave his blessing. 

“As President Trump has said, we have nothing to hide. I voted YES to release the files so we can move on from the smear campaign the Democrats have manufactured, and continue to advance policies that benefit hardworking Americans,” he wrote on X.

~snip~

Gag me with the proverbial fucking spoon.

Meanwhile, the corruption in the Trump Regime seems to be spreading.

Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts

In recent days, five U.S. senators and two representatives requested documents from the Department of Homeland Security and a formal investigation into how a firm closely tied to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ended up receiving money from a $220 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign.

The demands came in response to a ProPublica story this month that revealed that the Republican consulting firm had been secretly working on the ads, which star Noem. The company, called the Strategy Group, has long-standing personal and business ties to Noem and her senior aides at DHS. Its CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS.

Under Noem, DHS bypassed the normal competitive bidding process when awarding the contracts — allocating the majority of the money to a mysterious Delaware LLC that was created days before the deal was finalized. The Strategy Group does not appear on public documents about the deal.

~snip~

Sure, how did that happen? DOGE and the Trump regime gutted contract and spending oversight by firing multiple inspectors general earlier this year. IG are independent watchdogs who oversee federal agencies and root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Removing them encourages corruption. And Trump leads by example, lying, bullying, and grifting. Why should those he hires be different?

You’re known by the company you keep.

0

Mundaz Theme Music

We’re Gloomsville today, Munda, November 24, 2025. Fog is squatting on us with a chilly, gray ambiance. Sunshine took a look and said, “Pass,” for the morning. Warmer today than yesterday, 44 F, we’re hoping to plumb 60. Such a winter feel soaks the air that I wouldn’t be surprised if Frosty the Snowman strutted down past my house.

Yet this all feels like many childhood Thanksgivings in the Pittsburgh area where I spent my elementary and junior high school years. We’d be released from school for the holiday and rush into this stuff, noses red and running above our grinning mouths. Eyes sparkling, we’d ask one another, “What do you want to do?” Because we were free! And also because we knew good food was coming. Yes, some restrictions would also rise up about how to behave and dress for the good times as the larger mass of family, the ones we only saw a few times a year, all came together. Wish I could recover some of that youthful hopefulness and energy but the weight of too many events in too many years tamps it down tight. All that remains are reflections.

Sunda was spent celebrating another friend’s 78th. We treated them to dinner and then retired to their home for a few hours of Mexican Train, because that’s what she wanted to do. Phone calls of others interrupted out time, but that induced smiles instead of resentment. Good to know she was well thought of by so many friends and relatives that they took time to call.

My post today is late as it was our turn for our monthly Food & Friends deliveries. A smaller list this time. We wondered about the absentees and wished them the best. Then my wife suggested breakfast out somewhere. Although I’d eaten breakfast, I agreed because I know this as one of her favorite things to do. I’m still cautious and mindful about what I consume, eating in moderation and then monitoring my bod for problems.

Today’s song is “Man in A Box”. This is a 1991 grunge song by Alice in Chains. It’s a song about censorship and government restrictions, and was inspired by the songwriter learning how veal was produced via calves kept in cages. Later interviews, band members said that the song’s inspiration was derived from how the media worked in conjunction with the government to control the story. We’re all familiar with that, aren’t we. So, as I was reading the news this morning, The Neurons came up with this song.

I last played this in July of 2024, when we were still hopeful that people would Vote Blue. Not enough did. “The economy,” they cried. Now look where we’re at.

There was cause for some show and victory celebrations today. That would be the dismissal of the Comey and James prosecutions because the prosecutor was not lawfully appointed. I suspect that this will be challenged and end up at the Roberts Court. Odds there probably favor the Trump Regime. I write that because I don’t think the Roberts Court is overly invested in law, precedence, or the Constitution. The majority are more about right-wing ideology.

Next food for musing came from news about a new investigation.

Pentagon Launches Investigation into Senator Mark Kelly over Video Urging Troops to Defy ‘Illegal’ Orders

This is all about the video released the other day that urged military members not to obey illegal orders, reminding them that they swore an oath to the Constitution. I’m retired military; I fully understand what was in that video. I suspect Senator Kelly is like me and probably laughed, saying, “Bring it on!” This advice is continuously given to military members. Ain’t nothing new. That it’s a military veteran and senator, and Democrat giving that advice, along with other Democrats and veterans doesn’t change that it’s anything new or unique. It’s just timely, needed advice, given the Trump Regime’s propensity for lying, ignoring the law, and attacking people and encouraging violence against others based on political stances. We always address following and obey lawful orders, as called out in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. We learn that in initial training sessions and it’s reinforced multiple times in training sessions while in the military. It’s a serious matter, and that’s how we treat it.

Peace and grace ain’t here yet but I still light a candle in the window. Meanwhile, coffee up and carry on, or if you’re not part of coffee nation, whatever bevie works for you. Here we go again, once more into the foggy sunny windy chilly warming autumn winter day. Cheers

1

Satyrdaz Theme Music

They tell us that it’s foggy out there. I’m looking out the windows and all I see are blue skies and sunshine to beat the band. It’s 32 F degrees, ’bout the same as yestidaz temperature at this time but it doesn’t feel nearly so cold on account of the plentiful sunshine headin’ our way. That’s how it is today, Satyrda, November 22, 2025, in Ashlandia of southern Oregon, or SO, as we call it. BTW, the high temp for SO will be in the low 60s. Maybe.

Brekkie has been done up and served but while I was doing it, I regarded my wife’s early Friendsgiving Day preparations. They reminded me that Thanksgiving is this coming Thirstda in ‘Merica. That kind of thinking led to The Neurons offering of the song called “Alice’s Restaurant”. Other than that refrain and the song’s object being about a visit to Alice one Thanksgiving and how it came to change Arlo Guthrie’s life as told via the tale of a massacree, there’s not much about Alice’s Restaurant in the lyrics. I listened to them all this morning, smiling in memory of hearing it other times, chuckling at the turn of phrases and events. A good way to waste time while sipping a fresh coffee, and a fine antidote to the trumplusional world we’re facing on this Satyrda.

I read today about how Trump denied what he said he said. Typical Dizzy Don, using terms he doesn’t understand, throwing them about, shouting about killing others, and then pretending that he’d not said all of that, and that his toadies hadn’t repeated much of it.

Trump says he wasn’t threatening lawmakers with posts about ‘seditious behavior’

“These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law,” Trump said. “Now what happens to them, I can’t tell you. But they broke the law. That is a terrible statement. I can say that if I ever said that and there were a Democrat as president, all hell would have broken loose.”

I don’t think much of Lame Donny’s opinion. Too many of his opinions are built on thoughts with less substance than air vapor. Of course, those Democrats didn’t break any law, but as a person who regularly breaks laws and has been convicted of doing so, Dozy Donny wouldn’t know what the law is if it bit him in the ass. Remember, this burning match of intelligence is the one who wasn’t sure if he was supposed to obey the Constitution.

Trump, asked if he has to ‘uphold the Constitution,’ says, ‘I don’t know’

By the time Dumb Donny answered that question, he’d been sworn into office twice. An adult American, supposedly a graduate of accredited school systems, Dim Donny couldn’t answer a question which most high schoolers would get right.

My eyes are rolling and my head is shaking as I think and type that.

Anyway…

Though it’s sunny and clear, peace and grace are nowhere to be seen. Hope they show, hope they show. Back to the coffee and on into the day we go. Cheers

3

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