Hegseth's meeting with top generals/admirals is to gauge the military's loyalty to Trumpism. Judiciary neutered. Legislature co-opted. The only possible brake on presdnt-for-life is the army. Trump has to weaken potential resistance in the military before he can destroy the electoral system.

Never been good at comps -- "It's Midnight Cowboy meets Ole Yeller." But I've got a great one for my next idea. I'm just gonna go to LA & yell it until somebody hands me a big check. First I have to finish my current script -- Dracula meets Chinatown? I got nothing. #scriptsky #writersky #moviesky

It's a major match-up in Fat Bear Week today. 901 vs. 32 Chunk. 901 is fat. 32 Chunk is fat too, an old favorite, with a broken jaw and a dashing scar across his snoot. But 901 is fat, like so fat even other fat bears are telling her maybe drop a few pounds for her health. #fatbearweek

There's a growing possibility of tropical storm/hurricane activity in the Carolinas next week, which should terrify everyone here considering the incompetence and purposeful negligence of the Trump Admin.

Night folk: My in-person stops for AMERICA'S MOST GOTHIC, our non-fiction follow-up to A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN! We examine haunted history through tropes of Gothic literature! If you're in NY MA RI MI OH, come say hello! Online orders: wordbookstores.com/book/9780806... THX for support!

2nd day in a row this bear is being sad.

Given the fact that Trump is elderly and made of saturated fats, forcing him to walk halfway up an escalator could be construed as a cunning assassination attempt.

That empty feeling when it's Fat Bear Week, but you know you're not really a fat bear.

With Trump claiming Tylenol causes autism, I can only assume Johnson & Johnson refused to make a billion-dollar payoff.

It's Fat Bear Week. The bracket surprised me by not including perennial also-ran but beloved 151 Walker who seemed poised for victory this year. But alas. Walker must sit. No Holly. No 747 Bear Force One. No Otis. Time waits for no bear.

So after the Rapture, how does seizure of abandoned property work? First come first serve? Or is there paperwork? I don't want to waste time driving to the mountains or the beach to grab up a nice place if I have to file something first.

Working on a horror romantic comedy (HORROMCOM?). One draft has too much ROM. Then too much COM. Now too much HOR. #scriptsky

Elmer Gantry for the gated community crowd.

Captain Antifa

"Witch hunt" is another example of Trump speaking things into existence. We are fodder for neighbors' accusations. "You said bad things about Charlie Kirk!" "You look illegal!" "You're Antifa!" Results: dispossession, arrest, exile. Another result: silence and fear. Welcome to the 16th Century.

There's a good reason why America resisted monopoly/merger culture during the progressive era. When a few people own most of the stuff, they can do what they want; make crap, fire people, anger customers. Go ahead and buy another brand; I own that too. There is no free market.

Trump's effort to erase references to slavery from national museums and monuments means we can finally pave over those hurtful and divisive slave quarters at Monticello and build a pickleball court.

It occurs to me that Trump's America is very much the America Jesse Helms dreamed of (for those of you who remember that unReconstructed cracker). That is horrifying.

Got an email from a screenplay contest: "Unfortunately your script did not make it to the Second Round this year." What?! That can't be right. My mom said it was great! Did you even ask my mom!? #scriptsky

I'm listening to Frankenstein in audio and I swear if I hear "I wept bitterly" one more freaking time. I'm a fan of overly emotional Romantic poets, but even Keats would slap Victor Frankenstein and tell him to "man up."

Remember when you were young you'd wonder "What would America be like if we elected a furious insane immoral cur to be president?" Well, now you know.

Sad to hear about the death of Robert Redford. I could never decide if he was a great actor or a great movie star or both, but he worked on a ton of great movies that I love. #scriptsky #robertredford #movies

JD Vance is like the Nazi party regional leader who really ramped up the rhetoric in 1935 so he could take over when Hitler stepped down.

MSNBC headline: "New poll points to Trump voters’ tolerance for authoritarian approach to the rule of law" Huh. You don't say. We needed a fucking poll to tell us that?

Christian parents are refusing to vaccinate their children because the survivors will become Evangelical supermen perfect for breeding a new race of giants to guard the Trump Chamber, a golden sphere where the Eternal President will rule forever floating in a nutrient-rich slurry.

Is it a sign of depression that the first thing I do in the morning is start the countdown until bedtime?

Trump is now talking about sending the Natl Guard to Memphis to "fight crime." I didn't know who the mayor of Memphis was, but I made a little bet with myself before I looked him up. I won that bet.

"Charlie Kirk's shooting just shows libs don't understand anything but violence. Round them up before they kill us all ... what? ... he's what? Oh. Thoughts and prayers. I hope that poor boy finds the comfort of our lord and savior Jesus Christ."

Trump is getting his wish -- authority to use state security anywhere and for any reason he wants. That is the final piece to the end of democracy. Power comes from the barrel of a gun.

Not only is the US moving to authoritarianism, it's moving toward apartheid. Stripping protections from minority groups (racial, national, gender) and making it official policy that state security can detain a person based on how they look, i.e. brown skin.

Mike Johnson walks back his claim Trump was an FBI informant in Epstein case. How do you "walk back" something like that? It's like saying "My dad is an astronaut." Either he's an astronaut or you're a liar and your dad is, in fact, a pedophile.

If I win a billion dollars in a lottery I won't tell anyone, but there will be signs. I will be able to vote in the 2028 general election.

ACT I THEM: I'm gonna kill you. US: Help! They're going to kill us! THEM: It's just a joke. ACT II They kill Us.

"Senator, I don't believe the CDC should focus resources on unproven and dangerous vaccines when we can address obvious signs of illness like the sweating mare and milk that doth curdle!"

Russian collusion is a hoax. Jan. 6 insurrection is a hoax. Epstein case is a hoax. Soon -- Election is a hoax. Not 2020, elections in general. The 2026 midterm is just a plot by Democrats to steal Congress. The 2028 general election is a scheme to cheat the Republicans out of the White House.

REPORTER: Sir, do you think the Epstein files should be publicized so sexual predators can be identified? TRUMP: Why do you hate America?

Dancing w/the Stars season 34? Survivor season 49! How f*****g old am I?!

China is staging a massive military parade and demonstration of troop strength and advanced weaponry for the gathered leaders of Russia, India, and North Korea. Meanwhile, Trump is crowing about our army blowing up a motor boat off Venezuela.

The world's top autocrats gather and Trump's not invited. I understand those hurt feelings. Like at a convention when big authors hang out & I'm excluded. You want to be part of the group. You've crippled democracy and invaded your own cities! What more can you do?!?

It's so exhilarating to finally settle in with a new idea for a new project. In fact, I think I'll do it again tomorrow with a different idea! And maybe the day after that too! #writersky #scriptsky #authorsky

Sad to hear about the passing of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. I was lucky enough to be on a few DragonCon panels with her and she was always smart and spirited, plus so welcoming and chatty it made even me feel like I wasn't a complete poseur sitting next to such a big timer.

Is it time for the UN to move out of the USA?

What is happening at CDC is acceptable to Trump & his supporters. They loathe professional government. When civil servants resign under pressure, it's proof that Trump is winning the war on the Deep State. It also creates the institutional impotence and chaos where Trump thrives.

Danse Macabre: The One Man Show

After a long day, you just want a drink and a sympathetic beartender.

I won't be at DragonCon this weekend, but I'll make it like DragonCon by staying drunk, checking a map of my house constantly to get from room to room, and telling my cat about vampires. I will also be sad, unlike any time I'm at DragonCon. #dragoncon

Dictators die, but their damage lives on. Nations that devolve into authoritarian rule often can't completely recover. Institutions broken. Trust lost. Shared ideals gone. Once you see what your neighbor is willing to do or accept, how can you be neighbors again?

I re-wrote a ms. to change 3rd to 1st POV. It works fine. But turns out that wasn't the problem. It would've worked in 3rd If it was a better book. #writersky #authorsky

Political discourse has no purpose when you say to the other side "Your guy is a dictator" and they say "Yes" with a deep satisfied sigh.