Absolute fucking ghouls.

Thursday evening soundtrack:

Common Sense, published 250 years ago today.

The logic here is really pretty shocking. Usually, the message would be, "we'll put more resources/people/police/troops into the area to establish peace." But Noem says basically the opposite--do what we want or the violence continues. She's admitting her actions cause and sustain it!

I really used to love Stars and Stripes while I was deployed. Alas, like all things nowadays, someone feels the need to break it.

Did he say it with a smirk? I find the idea of Saudi Arabia as a voice of restraint re: the use of force in Iran to be, frankly, laughable--but if they truly are, good on them.

This is a "Benedict Arnold's plans to defect and surrender West Point discovered in Major Andre's boot" level fuckup by ICE. It warms my heart.

Members of Congress should be openly stating right now that military action against Greenland will result in impeachment and removal of the President and the Vice President.

absolutely astonishing how much the American press and public discourse is absent of any sense that this is actual reality rather than a mass entertainment happening entirely on our screens for our benefit

Wednesday evening soundtrack:

Watching a commercial for "Patriot Mobile" starring Jason Aldeen (FOX, of course) and... man, has there ever been anyone so obviously and uncomfortably faking being a salt-of-the-earth real tough guy? Like, it's so bad I almost feel sorry for the guy. Just be you, dude!

The US Dairy Council watching this press conference:

Discussions about ICE training remind me of a push to give the Iraqi Police (IP) marksmanship training during my 2004 tour. I believe my comment at the time was "Thinking the IP's problem is marksmanship is like thinking the Bloods and Crips' problem is that they don't hit who they're aiming at."

Look, smaller states are balancing! Time for foreign policy realists to read a little further (like, all the way to page two) in their IR textbooks.

This administration in one pithy phrase.

This is true, and has been for some time--since the Rush Limbaugh era. I grew up Southern, white, Christian, and on the right. This has been the message since at *least* the Clinton Administration.

If Sioux revanchism becomes a thing again, let no one say we didn't deserve it.

Explain to me like I'm five what the 2nd Amendment is for if not for this. King George III never said anything this obnoxious or deliberately inflammatory.

Will Stancil and his 1st Midwestern Cossack Cavalry chasing retreating ICE back across the frozen American steppe. (2025; colorized)

This kind of shit is the rare combination of repugnant from a secular perspective and thoroughly sacrilegious from a Christian perspective. It's an affront to pretty much everyone except the most deluded Christian nationalist weirdos.

Tuesday evening soundtrack:

Van Hollen: We are here to say not one more dime for Donald Trump's ICE operations

Uhhhh...

Liberal here, and I have an idea! *points to a giant, hundred-foot tall neon sign reading IMMIGRATION ISN'T A PROBLEM, IT'S THE SOLUTION, DUMMY!*

So if I sent you a list, say, of, uh, folks about whose status on this mortal plane I was genuinely... curious about, you could look them up for me?

Right wing outrage merchants and their pet politicians got it wrong again, surprising nobody--but the real story is how the lie happened. I hope they fired the teacher who made up the false accusation and set the mob on the innocent social worker. Straight up Stasi behavior.

My Republican foil in the office only just now--after months of us arguing about tax and fiscal policy--discovered how tax brackets work. He thought when you went up a bracket ALL your income got taxed at the new rate. My reaction, given all the times he's accused me of "not understanding" things.

It's a good bit, but it still makes me grind my teeth.

Fox's morning coverage of the happenings in Iran: "IRANIAN ACTIVIST RIPS FAR LEFT SILENCE ON IRAN PROTESTS" and "FAR LEFT SILENT ON IRAN PROTESTS" Fox, baby, not everything needs to be about us. Sometimes you can just cover what happening instead of making it about domestic politics, you know?

What the JSOC fuck war crime is going on?

My home river would be the Yadkin, I suppose, but my home creek? Well, that would be Little Hunting Creek, as literally grew up on it.

Again: why must everything these days be so *stupid?*

Bad news, every renter in New York and California--apparently you're all illegal immigrants! (Probably comes as a big shock to service members and their families stationed at Fort Drum, Twentynine Palms, Fort Irwin, Vandenberg SFB, Edwards AFB, Navy Base San Diego, etc. etc.)

Your 2nd favorite aircraft?

QOTD: What car do you want most, but know would be an absolutely miserable experience to own?

Why wait? For fuck's sake, do it NOW.

Congress, you can end this stupidity at literally any time...

I can cook, y'all.

Sunday soundtrack:

On Reddit last night someone told me that the first obligation of any law enforcement official is to protect themselves from danger. I suggested that someone who's first priority is protecting themselves from danger should possibly consider a career other than fucking law enforcement.

Saturday afternoon soundtrack:

There are no appropriations that are not Congressional acts. I don't even understand the logic.

INDIANA????

Any member of the military that executes an act of force against Greenland is violating US law, plain and simple, because the US is treaty bound to defend the territorial sovereignty of NATO states. (As a reminder. per the plain language of the Constitution, TREATIES ARE LAWS.)

For fucks sake, can we have a break from doing shitty, stupid stuff for just one goddamn day?

Not at all corrupt. Nope, not a bit