Pick a torch, America

A year later, and they’re still wearing masks, because they’re weak little men who don’t feel safe enough to reveal themselves.

89 years ago, Lou Gehrig delivered his “luckiest Man” speech. m.youtube.com/watch?v=nNLK...

I love the story about the CEO being approached by his second in command. He said they could make more money if they raised the price. He said, “If you raise [the price of] the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out."

Patriot fronting, more like. Amirite?

Happy Independence Day from young Mr. Dan Kelly during the Bicentennial! My sisters and other neighborhood girls ran a "summer camp" in our Oak Forest, IL, neighborhood. The Fourth of July parade was a regular event, IIRC. We'd circle the block and then have popsicles.

DHS. Protecting America from guys married to Episcopalian priests who take their kids to Moomin World. Pathetic. www.npr.org/2026/07/01/n...

This an official Vatican photograph of Leo at Lampedusa, Italy - one of the world’s heaviest migrant sites - where he went this morning to pray for migrants who died at sea. This is after turning down the offer to come to the United States.

What's a non-military aspect of America that you love? I'll start: Walt Whitman.

If those motherfuckers at the Supreme Court try to fuck with birthright citizenship….they need to know there will be consequences - My family has been here since 1650, and 8 ancestors fought in the American Revolution- but there are children born today that will be just as American as I.

I like fireworks.

RIP Kjell “Lord Humungus” Nilsson

My rainbow cone was structurally unsound, so I used a cup. Still delicious. rainbowcone.com

From the files of Pop Will Eat Itself www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/now-...

Reminds me of when I got Socialist presidential candidate David McReynolds on Bill Maher's show. Maher read the party platform in a scoffing tone of voice, but the audience cheered and hooted with glee. Out of touch has always been out of touch.

Apparently, cardinals sometimes lose their head feathers.

Just remember, America is the ONLY thing standing between Canada and Mexico!

Applied at 12:07 pm, rejected at 12:10 am. I have my doubts a human being was involved in the process at any point.

Person in Europe: All my healthcare is free. Smug American Business Guy: Just curious...WHO is paying for that? PiE: People who know their taxes pay for great things like free healthcare. SABG: [Smugly smugs while profusely sweating] I don't follow you.

Great book by @dkossy.bsky.social! Get it! www.instagram.com/p/DaTkky2AeMH

Linked In is filled with bots and people who aspire to be bots.

What an absolute freak.

If no one gets hurt, it is permissible to cackle.

There's an employer in Evanston—a fairly well-known organization—that's been advertising for an editor since the 90s. I swear I've submitted a half dozen resumes to this place through the years, but they never got back to me. And yet, they keep advertising the position.

In 1925, archaeologist Leonard Woolley was excavating the temple complex at the ancient city of Ur. That's the ziggurat in the background. As the excavation proceeded, he found something quite surprising: artifacts hundreds of years older than Ur itself. Let's talk about the oldest known museum.

Lady Astor: If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea. Winston Churchill: I don't want to be poisoned. Please don't poison me, Lady Astor.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is on Criterion Channel. Not a good movie, though it does demonstrate how even a little Christopher Meloni is great.

Updating my resume and realizing that I still have a link to the podcast I used to produce for my previous gig. They seem to have removed all my shows from the main website, but I don't think they know ALL the shows remain on Spotify, Apple, and so on. Chuckle.

Dan is a good guy.

Watched Repo Man with my 18-year-old son. He thought it was just okay, but did chuckle a few times. Especially at Duke's death scene: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3b5...

Every camp will have sections of folks insisting there must be a mistake, and they're not supposed to be there because they played ball.

Two people have climbed to the top of the Empire State Building antenna. They are holding a banner that reads: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace”

I will never, never, NEVER get over the fact that some folks think it's perfectly okay to conduct loud business phone calls on the main floor of the library.

"Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard, Dr. Congo..."

Also, Chicago area folks: if you have an interesting story idea or want to promote something, reach out to me. I'm always looking.

Most people don't know me well enough to be avoiding me. Not that they should.

Looking for a (paying) project. I know a number of publishers and editors follow me, so please keep me in mind for freelance editing or copy-editing books and the like. Here's a project I worked on not too long ago. www.upress.umn.edu/978151791279...

That...is not correct. It used to be crazy anti-Pinko, but it's always loved poor ethnic immigrants. Case in point: the Irish.

Buddy that is the most Catholic demo on earth

I never feel like I've wasted my life, but I do feel like some chunks of it were wasted for me.

Hello all. I'm looking for extra work. I offer many years of experience as a writer, copywriter, editor, proofreader, copy editor, podcaster, and more. If you know someone posting a part-time, full-time, project, or freelance position, please put them in touch with me. dan @ mrdankelly com

Vance likes the old-timey rules of Catholicism, not the actual words of Christ. Also, he likely has all the major works by the Doctors of the Church on his shelf...but they remain pristinely un-cracked and, like Lee Atwater's Bible, still sheathed in plastic wrap.

Ohhhhh, I know this one! He doesn't mean the Nicene Creed that everyone knows about--he doesn't even mean the original Nicene Creed or the Latin liturgical version or anything like that. He's chosen a version of the Nicene Creed that only appears in a rough draft written by an Axumite priest in 655.

This may cause some grumbling, but... While I will always be grateful my family was far enough away from the parade's kill zone, as a writer, part of me wishes I had been closer. I considered rushing into the area, to help and try to experience it so I could write about it later...

Wow, just in time for the third anniversary of the Highland Park parade, where an AR-15 fucked up multiple lives. These people truly worship death.

Putting together the @thirdcoastrvw.bsky.social Chicago Is Lit column. Please send me your lit news!

I always remind myself that I don’t NEED to share columns and transcripts wherein a smarmy commentator pretends to be open-minded by interviewing a right-wing scammer/kook. Because that benefits both their shitty agendas.