Saturday’s Theme Music — Going Down

Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, May 30, 2026.

It’s a gray and chilly May day, 52 F with no blue sky available for the eyes. Bleak sunshine slants in, casting faint shadows. No rain is expected today but our high will crest in the mid 60s again.

Not the happiest of weather but not the worst, either. Makes it perfect for morning reflections on the news and life on this next to last day in May.

Mom’s possessions are going fast. Sis found people who wanted things and invited them over. Now she’s not accepting any money. It has to go, so. We the siblings are fine with that, and agree with that sentiment. We like to know these things will be useful to others.

Gina sends photos of Mom’s rooms and the transformation as items disappear. Click, click, click. It’s forlorn progress.

Likewise, we have forlorn progress against Trump’s moves. Judges have ruled that the Kennedy Center couldn’t have the board just up and change its name and that they needed to stop the renovations because it wasn’t properly addressed. Other judges ruled that Trump’s slush fund might be illegal and no payments can be made from it yet. Diane Ravitch offers good summaries of it all.

Also, an ICE agent who shot a man through a door in Minnesota and lied about it was arrested in Texas.

In other ‘yea’ Trump news, the Comey seashell Federal prosecutor stepped aside. It’s a ridiculous case, likely unwinnable, and that’s probably what he concluded and decided, screw this. Just guessing. But as so many have pointed out on social media, if Trump goes after Comey for ’86 47′, then what about that time that Trump endorsed his supporters showing graphics with President Biden tied up?

Meanwhile, economist Paul Krugman helps us understand more about the Trump economy and We the People’s view of it. Trump and his minions like to crow about how MAGA supports him 100%. And polls show that as true.

But when it comes to the economy, Krugman points out that only MAGA approves of the economy at this point, and they represent 19% of all Americans. Even non-MAGA Republicans are going, no, this is not good.

What’s most disturbing when I look at that MAGA trend line is that it’s slowly increasing. This is despite Trump’s clear lies, corruption, and ineptitude. Truly makes me shake my head. This is why it’s become the Golden Age of Corruption.

Trump’s war in Iran is now over 90 days old.

Classic con man sleight of hand. If he was as interested in the law as he proclaims, he would not ignored it to wreck the White House and begin building the Epstein ballroom. He would have released the Epstein files, as he promised, instead of twisting and turning, trying to claim that it was a hoax.

Today’s music is “I’m Goin’ Down”. This Bruce Springsteen song came out in the mid 1980s. It’s about relationships and songs. I really don’t know why The Neurons parked it in the morning mental music stream today. Sometimes they work in ways that I don’t understand.

Here’s to you and a great day for you and yours.

Cheers

May 30, 2026 2

Facts & Response

Trump Administration (TA): Woke ruined everything! White men are being discriminated against! It’s not fair to white men!

MAGA: Yea! Woke sucks!

TA: Cities – especially blue cities – are the economic engines of the US. So let’s send ICE there and disrupt flights into them and cause a slowdown there because we don’t like them and their woke liberal policies.

MAGA: Yea! Libruls suck.

TA: Companies will move out of blue cities and blue states to red states.

MAGA: Yeah! Libruls suck.

Blue States: Even though the nation is going through a drought and there’s less and less water available to drink?

MAGA: Fake news!

TA: We have plenty of water, don’t worry. There is a drought going on, don’t worry. It’s weather! Louisiana isn’t sinking, don’t worry. The glaciers aren’t melting, don’t worry. The sea level isn’t rising, don’t worry. The average temperature isn’t rising, don’t worry. That’s all a Chinese Democrat Deep State hoax.

MAGA: Yeah! Hoax!

Media and Economists: The tariffs and war in Iran are driving up oil prices and disrupting supply chains. That increases energy and fertilizer prices. That raises transportation and shipping costs, food prices, healthcare costs, and consumer goods prices.

TA: Prices might go up a little bit for food but don’t worry, we’ll be better off for it in the long run.

MAGA: Um…yeah.

TA: Don’t worry about the national debt, either. We’re all going to get so rich, it’ll be beautiful.

MAGA: Yeah.

Media and Economists: The rising prices will also affect insurance premiums because they’re tied to the costs of everything else. Insurance is also going up for many homeowners due to more extreme weather events and wildfires.

MAGA:

TA: Forget the Epstein files! It’s a Democrat hoax! They’ve all been released. They’re nothing.

MAGA: Grumble grumble grumble

TA: Look at this ballroom! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the biggest and most beautiful in the world!

MAGA:

TA: Donors are paying for the ballroom! It’ll only cost 200 million! 300 million! 400 million! We need a billion dollars to make it safe!

MAGA:

TA: And look at this 250th celebration of our nation. Look at this fight we’re staging at the White House!

Media: It’s just like the Coliseum in Rome. Or the Olympic Games in Berlin before World War II.

MAGA:

TA: We’re winning the war in Iran! It’s already over! We obliterated their military! There is no more threat from Iran! It’s all or nothing! They’re running on fumes there! The people are going to rise up and take over! The Strait of Hormuz will be open, or else! We’ll bomb them more! The clock is ticking! They must give up their nuclear program! We destroyed their nuclear program! They have nothing!

MAGA:

Media: Trump has gone golfing today. He’s golfed 23% of the time he’s been in office.

MAGA:

TA: Biden!

MAGA: Biden sucks!

May 28, 2026 2

Thursday’s Theme Music

Ashland, southern Oregon — Thursday, May 28, 2026.

Thursday, Thursday (la la, la la la la). Can’t stand that day.

Are there songs about Thursday? I put it to the net.

Why, sure, the net responded. Here’s a list.

Oh. Yeah. I forgot about all of them. Senility? Or lack of coffee?

Sunday has the most songs written about it, in case you’re interested, as I was.

Which day has the least songs written about it? That would be Wednesday, kind of surprising, since it’s humpday — or was — for many 9 to 5ers.

Today’s weather is gloomy again. Rain and Thunderstorms are projected. High of 72 F. Currently 50. We need the rain, though, so bring it. Just hold off on floods, please, okay?

I’m surprised that Memorial Day travel set new records. I thought the high price of gas and travel (caused by the Trump Iran war), would dissuade people from hitting the road. As I said before, our area seemed to have less travel and visitors associated with the holiday weekend.

But I wonder how many people were just tired of bad news and rising inflation and said, “Screw it, we’re going somewhere and doing something.” I came to that conclusion because the data suggests people celebrated but changed destinations, went shorter distances, stayed shorter periods.

Big Trump news is that the Trump DOJ is ‘investigating’ E. Jean Carroll. Come on, raise your hand if you’re surprised.

Trump has always used lawfare to threaten and attack others. He’d already attempted (and failed) to persecute and prosecute political enemies.

Despite right-wing claims, lawfare as an expression goes back several decades and was not escalated as a form under President Biden. MAGA thinks Trump and his lawyers were unfairly attacked, charged, disbarred, etc. They overlook that the stimulus for much of that was Trump’s attempted insurrection and the riot it caused, along with his unfounded but continuous claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

No evidence that holds up to scrutiny has ever been found that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

Court case after court case was thrown out for lack of evidence. As some lawyers took to fabricating claims or failing to uphold the law as an officer of the court, they suffered the lawful consequences.

That upsets Trump and MAGA. They share a common trait: they feel the world is against them. That’s why they continue to lean on one another and probably will until death do they part.

Today’s theme music by the late Aretha Franklin. My wife and I were in the snug. We rose to go do other things. I said something like, “Time to get up and go.” My Neurons added with a laugh, “My get up and go must have got up and went,” from an Aerosmith song.

My wife said, “Go. Go. Go.”

We then broke into a spontaneous rendition of “Freeway of Love” from that point and danced to it a bit. Then we laughed like idiots. The song stuck in my morning mental music stream, so here it is, pour vous.

Hope you’re strong today, and stay strong, healthy, happy, etc. Let’s push through this setback called Trump. Keep the torch burning for those who come after us.

Cheers

May 28, 2026 0

Friday’s Theme Music

Newport, Oregon — Saturday, May 22, 2026.

It’s 54 F with a high of 60 in sight. The waves are calmer, but the wind continues ransacking the beach. Nobody is down there right now. I did see four small figures walking it an hour ago…

We opened our laptops to see if Trump passed away or if the war was over. Big news is that some Republicans said no to Trump’s ballroom drone port military underground bunker funding request of a cool billion. Seems like its elections optics and not principles. Few are bothering to recall that Trump said it would be built with donations and cost just two hundred million and the American taxpayers would pay nothing.

One of those ‘standing up’ is Susan Collins, who exhibits the same moral fortitude as a feather on the wind. Yeah, I’ not impressed.

Trump’s response: attack those who said no, etc. Says, paraphrasing, ‘This is all according to the plan and we’ve been saying it all along.’ Sure; that’s why there’s no evidence online of that. Question: does he think us all that stupid, or is he that stupid?

He’ll probably steal, er, shift the money from somewhere else. That’s his MO. Screw the laws, constitution, all that.

It’s all part of the same game for him: launch a war, say it’s over, promise it will be over shortly, tell us that it’s not long compared to other wars, tell us it’s not a way. Just like his healthcare plan that never arrived. His promises to lower prices day one. Claim that he’ll ‘fix’ the Lincoln Reflecting Pool for 1.8 million which becomes over ten million.

Still waiting on the Epstein files.

My sister, Gina, is busy selling Mom’s household items and pushing to get the house sold. I admire her energy level and remain really thankful that she’s there to do these things.

Today’s music is by Damn Yankees. I don’t know why “High Enough” is in the morning mental music stream today. It could have to do with a dream, I suppose. The Neurons aren’t connecting the dots for me.

I hope your day goes well, and you go to bed satisfied with what’s transpired for you.

Time for Operation Epic Find Food.

Cheers

May 22, 2026 3

Some Good News

I first learned about this from Representative Pam Marsh, Ashland’s citizen elected to serve in Oregon’s state legislature.

Here is the KOBI 5 article and a link to it. I think it’s something worth celebrating in this age of Trump, the Golden Age of Corruption, and also the Golden Age of Science Denial.

Oregon’s first floating solar project unveiled in Jackson Co.

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – On Friday, several organizations as well as U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, gathered as the state’s first floating solar project went online. The project aims to deliver affordable, renewable energy while also conserving water.

1,700 solar panels have been mounted on water-safe floating platforms on Medford Irrigation District’s reservoir in Central Point. These panels will be able to supply energy to families and businesses in Jackson County, lowering energy costs and creating revenue for the irrigation district.

Not only that, but the panels also shade the reservoir which can preserve water in the warmer months. It can also improve water quality by slowing algae and weed growth. Being the first of its kind here, it will be studied for other communities facing similar issues of high energy bills and drought. Julie O’Shea, executive director for Farmers Conservation Alliance said,

“This project benefits Medford Irrigation District and their strategies and plans to be able to modernize their irrigation infrastructure which is so critical when we’re facing the drought we’re facing this year. And we’re hoping [to] save water from preventing evaporation and so many other benefits. There’s many other irrigation communities in the state and across the west working on floating solar projects right now.”

Many organizations are behind the project, including the Medford Irrigation District, Energy Trust of Oregon, Farmers Conservation Alliance, Imagine Energy and more. More general and subscription information can be found online.

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Pam also noted, “It’s a project with multiple benefits that will also generate a funding stream of $75,000 a year to the district.”

May 10, 2026 4

Thursday’s Theme Music — Look! Roberts!

Ashland, southern Oregon — Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Blue, blue sky. 67 F that we now feel would’ve been the high a few days again. Now it’s a measurement as the thermometer sings toward 83 F. Higher is possible, I think.

Mom is settling into acceptance that the nursing facility will be home for a while. Although she looks and seems happy in photos and videos, she doesn’t like paying the money and doesn’t like having her independence curtailed.

I hear her. I can see myself feeling and doing the same. I wish something better was available for her.

Meanwhile, my sister is moving forward on selling Mom’s house and getting powers of attorney. Sis has been patient and persistent and gets a lot of points for that.

My sisters and I shared health texts yesterday. We older beings laughed as we compared our health issues. My younger siblings were agog with dismay. My older sister responded, “Getting old ain’t for sissies.”

Big news front that I’m seeing is Justice Roberts is upset.

Chief Justice laments perception of ‘political’ Supreme Court

I read that to my wife. She laughed. “Gosh, I wonder why.”

No kidding. The shadow docket has surged under Roberts once Trump came into power. The Brennan Center summarized exactly why we think the Roberts Court is politicized and favoring Trump:

“The Court has sided with the administration 80 percent of the time when making “emergency” rulings, often without revealing its reasoning.“

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Despite Trump’s claim, made less than three months ago, Republicans are now asking for $1,000,000,000 for the ballroom. Trump also claims the Epstein ballroom is under budget, even though they’re now asking for five times the original amount to build it.

Trump can’t be trusted. Nor can the GOP. What’s your guess for how much the Epstein ballroom will end up costing?

Between the Epstein ballroom and Trump’s Iran War, Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! is becoming one of most expensive fiascos in history.

Today’s theme music is “Under My Wheels” by Alice Cooper. The song came out in 1971. It entered my morning mental music stream today after reading Jill Dennison’s blog. It featured the ELO song, “Telephone Line”. That was enough to inspire The Neurons to lift “Under My Wheels” out of my dusty folds of memory. See, the song begins, “The telephone is ringing,” and the line is repeated throughout the song.

Hope you enjoy it. Still sounds good to me, fifty years plus later. However, I don’t often play Alice Cooper these days; he’s a right-wing individual who trashes trans ‘as a fad’.

I hope this day finds you doing well in all ways that matter. May peace and grace carry you on no matter what adversity life might deliver.

On to my coffee. Cheers

May 7, 2026 3

Tuesday’s Theme Music –

Ashland, southern Oregon — Tuesday, Mar 5, 2026.

Thunder is talking to us outside. It’s almost a three-D reproduction of yesterday: 56 F now, moving toward upper 70s. Cloudy, thin sunshine, thunderstorms.

Two headlines grabbed my attention today. One said that Delta airlines will stop serving food and beverages on flights under some mileage. I sort of shrugged at that, considering it, 1) part of the general enshittification trend of airline travel.

The other headline was about Trump’s Epstein Ballroom. Originally seized as an idea under Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!, private donors were supposed to be paying for the ballroom. But NOTUS had this headline:

Senate Republicans Seek $1 Billion for White House Ballroom Security

Remember when the ballroom was going to cost $300 million? Ah, good times. Prices are going up so fast these days.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Trump made these statements when he accepted the GOP nomination. It was part of his ‘law and order’ speech. Now he puts his personal agenda before the national good, leads an incompetent government, and fails We the People all the time.

I’m not surprised. That’s what I fully expected from Trump: failing upward, as he did all his life, by covering his mistakes with different personal variations of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!

Today’s song is by Steely Dan. I was thinking about pretzel logic. That happens to be the name of a Steely Dan album. I started thinking about that album, and Les Neurons brought “Any Major Dude” into the morning mental music stream.

Hope you find some peace and grace in your day.

Cheers

May 5, 2026 2

What A Story!

Jill’s post, “Da ‘Toons Tell Da Story” sharply illustrate the foolhardiness of the Trump administration and his followers. I pulled a few favorites to share right here and now, but way more are on her page. Get thee over there to check ’em out!

Da ‘Toons Tell Da Story!

My Five Favorites:

May 3, 2026 3

Monday’s Theme Music – Waiting

Ashland, Oregon — Monday, April 27, 2026.

Spring continues in Ashland where hefty cumulonimbus clouds are invading the blue sky. 43 F, we’re rich in sunshine at the moment. Rain is expected in the afternoon with a high of 65 F.

It’s a busy morning of waiting. Water showed up on one bathroom floor last week. I did some amateur diagnostics and concluded, 1) blocked sewer line; 2) blew out the toilet wax seal. After researching the DIY, my wife and I reached out to friends for a plumber recommendation.

In parallel, the toilet shutoff valve in the other bathroom began leaking. I turned it off but it kept leaking. I modified an extra kitty litter box to catch the water and empty it. Then water showed up on that floor.

It’s a single story place with stacked drains, etc. So called the plumber last week. He can’t get to us until today, 11:30. That’s my day.

My texts blew up at 2:50 AM. Mom pulled a 180 on us. Had been campaigning to leave assisted living. My sister approached her about staying there, selling the house, etc. Wrote to us, “Mom seems agreeable to selling her house and staying there.”

On the other hand, the staff wanted to take Mom to the hospital because Mom was leaning to the left and her eyes looked bad. Mom said no.

Sis said she would go over and check out the situation today. She is also finally focused on getting a power of attorney and taking Mom to the post office to change her address.

Waiting for updates to see how this all went. I’m not sure why my sister felt a need to send it so early in the AM. It was 5:30 in Pittsburgh…

Trump had three more people killed in the eastern Pacific and Carribbean. Some news articles give Trump cover by saying the deceased were accused of being drug runners or narco-terrorists.

Sorry, but they accused. They weren’t seen in court. There was no jury, just the U.S. military again killing civilians.

That brings the number killed to at least 186 for the Bible-thumping regime.

We’re still waiting on the full Epstein files, and we’re waiting to see what will happen next in Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! We’re also waiting to see what will happen next in Trump’s Iran War, now beginning its ninth week.

I’m also waiting to see how much gas prices will increase in the U.S. this week.

Your Trump quote of the day:

Today’s song is “Waiting” by Green Day. The tune is all about the frustration of waiting for changes and differences — “Wake up!” Billy Joe sings. No wonder The Neurons pulled it into my morning mental music stream.

Hope your day has less waiting than mine and that you end up looking back on it and say, “That was a pretty good day.”

Cheers