IST Saturday News Dump–11Apr26

Just another week…..the world keeps turning but with the leaders we have now for how much longer?

Local–Spring Break is going on and for the next couple of days there will be drink and partying…..I shall stay close to the house.

Some possible good news for the Coast…..

Colorado State University’s hurricane team is dialing down expectations for the 2026 Atlantic season—but not the warnings that come with it. Researchers at CSU, pioneers of long-range hurricane outlooks, project 13 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) between June 1 and Nov. 30, reports WPLG Miami. That’s a notch below the 30-year average of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, and the group says overall activity, measured by Accumulated Cyclone Energy, could be the weakest since 2015. It’s also the first time since 2023 that CSU has opened hurricane season with a below-normal forecast. The report came with a warning, notes Al.com: “As with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season.”

The main factor behind the quieter outlook: a likely powerful El Niño taking shape in the eastern Pacific. When those waters heat up, they tend to disrupt Atlantic storm formation by increasing hostile winds and sinking air—especially if the El Niño is strong. Models suggest a rapid shift from the recent La Niña pattern to a robust El Niño by late summer, with some projections hinting at a “super” event rivaling the major episodes of 1982, 1997, and 2015. Unlike the hyperactive 2023 season—when very warm Atlantic waters appeared to blunt El Niño’s dampening effect—current forecasts show a relatively cool tropical Atlantic going into the peak months, which would give El Niño more leverage to suppress storms.

I will drink to that.

Personal–Chemo has left me a bit under the weather…..I have another doctor now, a gastro one, I have more doctors than living relatives.

Back in the day my favorite sitcom was WKRP and now it comes to pass…..

Hold on to those Thanksgiving turkeys! WKRP is coming to Cincinnati—for real this time. “I cannot, by contract, tell you when. I cannot tell you who. But I can tell you, direct to the camera, WKRP, after 48 years, is coming to Cincinnati,” DP McIntire, who runs the media nonprofit that is auctioning the famous call letters, told the AP. “Book it! It’s done!” The call sign was made famous by WKRP in Cincinnati, a CBS television sitcom that ran from 1978 to 1982. It made stars of actors like Loni Anderson and Richard Sanders, whose bumbling newsman Les Nessman reported on a Thanksgiving promotion gone bad when live but flightless turkeys were dropped from a helicopter.

McIntire laughs as he recalls his chat with a woman in the agency’s audio division. He had two sets of call letters in mind. She told him he needed a third. “Being the jokester that I am, I said, `Well, if you need three, and if it’s available, we’ll take WKRP,'” he said. “And 90 seconds later, she came back and she said, `Mr. McIntire. Congratulations. You’re the general manager of WKRP in Raleigh, North Carolina.'” WKRP-LP—101.9 on the FM dial—went live Nov. 30, 2015. The LP stands for “low power,” a class of station created to serve more local audiences that didn’t want mass-market content. LPFM is restricted to nonprofit organizations like his Oak City Media, and it’s definitely local.

Like the WKRP of television, McIntire and his partners set out to be “irreverent.” One of their offerings is a two-hour show called “Weird Al and Friends,” focusing on the satirical works of Weird Al Yankovic. They even had an annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway. But don’t call PETA—they hand out gift certificates to a local grocery store. “We don’t toss them out of helicopters,” he said with a laugh. After 10 years on the air, the 56-year-old McIntire decided it was time to pass the reins. They put out a call for bids to use the call letters on FM and AM radio, as well as television and digital television. Whatever the buyers do with the call sign, he hopes they will be true to the show that inspired it. “It has a special place in the hearts of an awful lot of people,” he said. “And we have been very, very, very proud to have been a steward of that legacy.”

I remember the turkey episode and the famous words….”As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly”.

The trend of everyone having a tattoo may not be the best thing….

From minimalist wrist designs to full sleeves, body art has become so common that it barely raises an eyebrow. But while the personal meaning of a tattoo may be obvious, the biological consequences are far less visible.

Once tattoo ink enters the body, it does not stay put. Beneath the skin, tattoo pigments interact with the immune system in ways scientists are only just beginning to understand.

Tattoos are generally considered safe, but growing scientific evidence suggests tattoo inks are not biologically inert. The key question is no longer whether tattoos introduce foreign substances into the body, but how toxic those substances might be and what that means for long-term health.

Tattoo inks are complex chemical mixtures. They contain pigments that give color, liquid carriers that help distribute the ink, preservatives to prevent microbial growth, and small amounts of impurities.

Many pigments currently in use were originally developed for industrial applications such as car paint, plastics, and printer toner, rather than for injection into human skin.

Some inks contain trace amounts of heavy metals, including nickel, chromium, cobalt, and occasionally lead. Heavy metals can be toxic at certain levels and are well known for triggering allergic reactions and immune sensitivity

https://www.sciencealert.com/tattoos-affect-your-immune-system-in-ways-were-just-beginning-to-understand

AI is the big thing these days….and an AI exoert has something to say….

Existence as we know it is almost certainly a simulated design, according to a renowned Latvian computer scientist and AI maestro.

Founder of Cyber Security Lab at the University of Louisville, Dr Roman Yampolskiy joined podcaster and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO last week.

During their brain-bruising discussion, which ran close to 90 minutes in length, the podcast guest came to the table with several revelations, including his belief that humankind is already so entrenched in technological lives that we’re essentially living in a simulation.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/technology/ai-expert-close-to-certain-simulation-theory-282256-20260407

Did this guy see the Matrix movies?

WE have a resurgence of crazy alien stuff…..add another one to the pile….

Representative Tim Burchett spoke to Newsmax this week and said the US government ‘needs to disclose it all’.

‘I’ve been briefed by just about every alphabet agency there is, and I’ll just tell you this, if they would release the things that I’ve seen, you would stay up at — you’d be up at night worrying about or — thinking about this stuff,’ he said.

‘I will just tell you this, I was briefed two weeks ago on an issue, and it would’ve set the earth on — this country would’ve come unglued, I think, if they had heard all that I’d heard.’

‘Aliens are real – what I’ve been told will keep you up at night’

Sorry that is about all the energy I have for today…..so go out and enjoy your Saturday and as always…..Be well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Shaky Ceasefire

Note:  I get juiced this morning early so I will be down for the count….chemo has that effect…..hopefully I will be at full strength come Saturday…..Have a good day.

It has been announced and it has been on unstable ground since that day…..but just for the FYI here are the points of each side….

US 15 Point Proposals Now

1) US will remove all sanctions on Iran

2) It will cease all threats to reimpose sanctions

3) Iran’s nuclear program will be frozen under a defined framework

4) US will assist Iran in developing a civilian nuclear project

5) There will be limit on enriched uranium to remain under supervision

6) US agrees to address the Iranian missile program at a later date

7) Iran’s nuclear program will be restricted to civilian purposes only

8) Iran will halt the development of existing nuclear facilities & capabilities

9) Iran will discontinue further expansion of enrichment capabilities

10) No production of weapons-grade nuclear material to occur on Iranian soil

11) Iran will hand over all enriched materials to the IAEA on an agreed timeline

12) Iran’s Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities will be taken out of use

13) International monitoring and verification mechanisms

14) Implementations will be gradual and tied to compliance

15) Both sides to discuss additional regional and security issues

Then there is the counter from Iran….

Iran’s Current 10 Point Proposal

1) Guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again

2) Permanent end to the war, not just a ceasefire

3) End to Israeli strikes in Lebanon

4) Lifting of all sanctions on Iran

5) End to all regional fighting against Iranian allies

6) In return, Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz

7) Iran will determine the rules of safe passage through Hormuz

8) A Hormuz fee of $2 million per ship

9) Iran would split these fees with Oman

10) Iran to use Hormuz fees for reconstruction instead of reparations

Let’s pretend that this ceasefire holds…..who won?

So who’s winning, or has won, the Iran war thus far? Who’s losing?

Iran has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and to negotiate. But it will still run the Hormuz strait. It will collect fees. Higher global oil prices means it will make even more money from oil sales. That can buy a lot of Chinese radars and Russian anti-aircraft systems. The US will not control the Hormuz in any way. Iran will set the rules and control the strait, in cooperation with one or two friendlier Gulf states (Oman, maybe Qatar?)

Iran will replenish and accelerate production and development of its missiles and drone programs.

The Iran war—like the Ukraine war—means military power has changed radically. Surface ships are sitting ducks. Even 5th generation aircraft if they get too close. War is now about hypersonic missiles, autonomous weapons, massed drones in the air, on and under the water, low orbit satellites and surveillance—and of course economic destabilization.

The most important question remains: what will Israel do should US and Iran agree to a deal (or don’t)? Trump and the Iranians can agree to all they want. Israel will not necessarily abide by it (even if it says it will). When the dust settles, Israel will again try to find a way to lure America into its wars of expansion in the middle east.

(counterpunch.org)

Will this actually hold a peace in the region?

I think not for Israel does not want a peace for the region.

What say you?

Just FYI….Iran is claiming victory…..

US forces secured a “historic and overwhelming victory” over Iran, defense chief Pete Hegseth declared Wednesday, adding that “Iran proved utterly incapable of defending itself.” Iran, of course, begs to differ, with its national security council boasting that it delivered “an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat” to its foes, per the Wall Street Journal. A Washington Post piece finds that behind the bluster, neither side is a “clear winner,” but the newspaper is among a number of outlets exploring why Tehran is maintaining victory. The short version: The regime survived, albeit after losing key figures; Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz; and it still possesses a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, per Politico.

“What Iran did, systematically and deliberately, was hurt the US economy” by shutting down the strait and sending oil prices soaring, Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute tells the Journal. “They made sure the war was felt in the US,” he says, adding, “I don’t think Trump’s going to try that again.” And even after the ceasefire, Iran continues to maintain control over which ships are allowed to navigate the strait. “The implication: Iran is intent on using its newfound control over the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf as leverage over Trump as the Islamic Republic seeks to rebuild its power after the biggest threat to its survival in decades,” writes David S. Cloud of the Journal.

The Post, meanwhile, notes that crowds filled the streets of Tehran after the ceasefire announcement, triumphantly waving their nation’s flag, far from the “unconditional surrender” President Trump had previously demanded. Not that Iran emerged unscathed: In additon to the relentless bombing attacks from the US and Israel, it is now more isolated than ever in the region because of its attacks on neighboring nations. Still, as one Asian diplomat tells Politico of Hegseth’s threat to resume strikes if necessary, “Declaring victory by saying he will attack Iran some more seems like losing.”

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Wipe Them Out!

The Donny inspired mash-up with Iran has him making all kinds of proclamations, especially worrying is his proclamation that he would wipe out the Iranian civilization if they did not submit to his outrageous demands.

As a political historian I want to let my readers know that for all his ranting and chest thumping he is not alone with such visions.

Donald Trump is arguably the most out-of-control politician in American history. Yet he isn’t the first to threaten the lives of an entire civilization. He is, however, the first to announce a time and date. April 7, 2026, at 8 pm Eastern time.

American political leaders, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, also made troubling remarks.

Andrew Jackson described Native resistance as something that would lead to their “utter annihilation.”

Theodore Roosevelt is documented as saying that the extermination of Native Americans was “as ultimately beneficial as it was inevitable.”

California’s first governors and legislators openly called for the extermination of Native tribes. Governor Peter Burnett said, “A war of extermination will continue to be waged… until the Indian race becomes extinct.”

During Reconstruction and Jim Crow, state legislators openly discussed the need to “eliminate” Black political power and sometimes Black populations in certain counties. This included threats of “wiping out” Black communities during racial pogroms.

Senator Benjamin Tillman openly bragged about killing Black people to suppress their political rights, saying, “We have done our level best to prevent Blacks from voting… We shot them.” He also threatened further mass violence if Black political power grew.

Thomas Jefferson articulated a framework in which Native peoples faced only two options as he saw them: assimilation into Euro‑American society or extermination through war. Historians widely cite this as one of the clearest examples of early U.S. federal policy framing Native survival as conditional. He said the goal was to prepare them for becoming citizens of the United States, or face destruction if they resisted U.S. expansion.

Abraham Lincoln’s initial plan for enslaved people was gradual emancipation and deportation, with the only other option a war of extermination.

“It does seem to me that systems of gradual emancipation might be adopted; but for their tardiness in this, I should be without hope of their ever being adopted. But if they were adopted, it would give time for the gradual emancipation and deportation of the negroes, so that they would not be a burden on us, nor we on them. But if we deal with the negro as with the white man, and make him politically and socially our equal, we shall have a war of extermination.” — Abraham Lincoln

During the James K. Polk administration, several U.S. generals and members of Congress advocated the annexation or destruction of Mexican society during the Mexican-American War. South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun opposed annexing Mexico.

“We could never incorporate such a people,” said Calhoun. “It would be the destruction of our government.”

In 2010, another South Carolina Senator, Lindsey Graham, threatened Iran:

“We will obliterate their ability to function as a modern society,” said  Graham

Harry Truman even sounds a little bit like Trump when he made threats against Japan.

“They may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.” — President Harry Truman

General Curtis LeMay oversaw the firebombing of Japanese cities and spoke in stark terms about the scale of destruction:

“We scorched and boiled and baked to death more people in Tokyo that night than went up in vapor at Hiroshima,” said General LeMay

He also said the goal was to “destroy Japan’s ability to wage war by burning down every city.”

In the 1942–1945 congressional debates, there were calls to “wipe Japan off the map.”

General LeMay also threatened that the United States could “bomb China back into the Stone Age. That sounds similar to a recent threat of Trump’s against Iran.

“We are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages,”  said Trump

For the record, the United States has been to war multiple times against Britain, France, and Germany, without once threatening to wipe their countries and peoples off the map. I’m trying not to draw any conclusions about who America deems worthy of elimination and who is not. I think the simplest answer is probably correct.

But who am I to say?

(levelman.com)

 

As you can see there have been many times that we have threatened to wipe out one civilization or another.

 

Good News For Some

If you are a normal working stiff then there has been very little to call ‘good news’…..but if you are among the ‘robber barons’ then you should be all smiles.

Bonus season is back on Wall Street, at least on paper. Axios reports that the average bonus for New York City securities industry workers hit $246,900 last year, a 6% jump from the previous year, according to a new report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Total profits in the securities industry climbed more than 30%, to $65.1 billion, while the overall bonus pool reached a record $49.2 billion, up 9%. The gains were fueled in part by heavy trading during market volatility linked to tariffs enacted by the Trump administration.

Bloomberg reports it’s the highest bonus pool on record, going back to 1987. There’s a caveat, however, per Axios: Adjusted for inflation, the bonus pool actually reached its highest level in 2006 at $53.7 billion, and it remains below the highs of 2020 and 2021, when pandemic-era markets and deal-making surged. The comptroller’s estimate is based on income tax withholding data for New York City employees and excludes stock options and other types of deferred pay.

DiNapoli said Wall Street’s strength is a plus for state and city budgets that depend heavily on its tax revenue, but he cautioned that weaker job growth and geopolitical tensions could pressure the industry, as well as the broader economy. Fortune reports that this year’s bonus outlook “is already darkening,” with the outlet noting some of the city’s budget planning “may … be too rosy,” with some targets seemingly “out of reach.”

If you are a billionaire then all is coming up roses…..the rest of us peons are struggling with day to day life.

Eat The Rich!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Just In The Nick Of Time

For about 5 weeks our little mash-up with Iran has been raging…..Donny has been ranting and his minions have been dutiful.

And as if a movie plot at the very stroke of midnight a ceasefire deal has been announced.

Iran says it has accepted a proposal for a two-week ceasefire, but the war will only be considered over if and when a final agreement is reached that aligns with every element of its 10-point plan. President Trump said Tuesday that he had suspended attacks on Iran for two weeks after receiving a “workable” proposal for Iran. According to Iranian state media, the plan calls for coordinated, controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian military oversight, a halt to military operations against Iran and its allied groups, and the withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases in the region, Reuters reports.

  • “It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement, per the AP. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”
  • Tehran is also demanding the lifting of all US sanctions—both primary and secondary—the release of frozen Iranian funds, and payment of “full compensation” to Iran. In a statement on X, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” Araghchi, who said he was making the announcement on behalf of the Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would halt military attacks as long as the country was not attacked, NBC News reports.

The deal has done what it was suppose to do….drop oil pricess….

Oil prices plunged and US stock futures jumped on Tuesday after President Trump held off on his threat of devastating attacks on Iran. Futures for US crude oil sank 18% to around $92.60, while Brent crude oil futures fell about 6% to $103.40, the AP reports. Both prices remain well above where they were at the start of the war. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 2.4% and Dow futures jumped 2.1%, more than 900 points, reports CNBC. Stock markets in Japan and South Korea also soared, while bitcoin rose more than 5%, the Wall Street Journal reports.

  • Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire and its foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.
  • Oil prices have spiked because the war has snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran has blocked it to enemies. A regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells the AP that the two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for. The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had previously considered the passage a toll-free international waterway.
  • About a fifth of the world’s oil transits the strait in peacetime. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, wrote in a statement that: “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.” Before the war, there were no “technical limitations,” the AP notes.

There is two weeks for a deal to end this stupidity once and for all.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

A Damn Good Idea

This entire country is ignorant on how the government works and that has lead to some silly stuff in government….why is this?

Civics is not a mandatory subject in schools….here in Mississippi a Senator is trying to do something about the ignorance.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, we must ensure that Mississippi’s students graduate with knowledge of and appreciation for the Declaration of Independence and our state and federal institutions it inspired. Civics knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors are not passed along through the gene pool, but must be built anew with each rising generation of citizens.

To this end, I am proud to author Senate Bill 2292, legislation that would require civics courses in every public and charter school in Mississippi in order for students to graduate high school.

Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed SB 2292 with strong bipartisan support. It’s now assigned to both the House Education and Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, and I encourage my House colleagues to put aside “education politics” of the last couple of years and advance it to the House floor, teeing up its passage prior to our adjournment in April.

Thirty-seven states plus D.C. require stand-alone civics courses for high school graduation, seven of them for a full year. If we pass this bill, beginning with the 2027-28 school year, Mississippi would proudly join this mix.

Civics knowledge is sadly lacking across our citizenry, perhaps most acutely among our students here in Mississippi. Nationally, only 22% of eighth graders achieved proficiency on the most recent NAEP civics assessment — the lowest performance of any tested subject outside U.S. History. For Mississippi students, who largely lack access to a dedicated civics course, the picture is likely no better. Mississippi students deserve better than that national floor.

Sen. Wiggins: Mississippi must require civics education for graduation

This is a stellar idea….not just for Mississippi but for this whole darn country.

Here in Mississippi I do not think this has a chance for state politicians like having an ignorant popular that is easily duped into their schemes and scams.

Hopefully this idea will catch on nationwide…..it is sadly needed for an informed population.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Dark Days Of Yesteryear Returns

Lots has been said and/or written about what is going on in the US these days…..some see it as an improvement but most see it for what it is….a return of the fascism of the past.

Donny has set himself up as the supreme leader with is underlings cleaning up his messes…..all this smacks of the aesthetics of yesteryear….

What is most revealing about the MAGA aesthetic is its studied ugliness. On one side stands the grotesque excess of beauty-pageant femininity, plastic smiles, puffy lips, lacquered beach-wave hair, sharpened jawlines, and a hyper-sexualized nostalgia masquerading as “traditional values.” US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem exemplifies this aesthetic as a badge of cruelty. Carefully styling herself in a Barbie-doll register of hyper-femininity, she delivers media performances staged in front of prisons and other sites associated with the punishment and terrorization of immigrants. The effect is chilling: a glossy, pornographic aesthetic fused with images of confinement, state violence, and racialized cruelty. Beauty here does not soften power; it aestheticizes domination and makes authoritarian violence appear natural, even glamorous. This aesthetic of cruelty is not confined to clothing (heavy on tweeds), posture, or setting. It increasingly takes hold at the level of the face itself, where artificiality is no longer concealed but aggressively displayed.

Fascist Aesthetics Has Come Back with MAGA Politics

There is more if interested….

The United States is not merely awash in brutalizing and murderous acts of state-sanctioned violence. It is being restructured by them. The killings of Rachel Good and Alex Pretti are not aberrations or tragic mistakes; they belong to a longer and darker history that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People once named with chilling precision. In earlier periods of American turmoil, such killings were called lynchings, acts “carried out by lawless mobs, although police officers did participate, under the pretext of justice.” Today, this violence extends well beyond the bullet and the baton. It takes form in the expansion of prison camps, what Thom Hartmann rightly calls concentration camps, the war on immigrants, and the routine assault on Black and brown lives made disposable through policy, indifference, and neglect. At the same time, the country is saturated with a culture steeped in fascist spectacle and authoritarian display. Under the Trump administration, aesthetics itself becomes a battleground, a weaponized field where power works on desire, memory, bodies, and pleasure to consolidate domination.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/13/maga-aesthetics-and-fascist-power-spectacles-of-white-supremacy/

All this is pointing to a problem that we have faced before but not with such approval as today….the GOP today seems to be embracing the policies and actions that this country fought against less than a hundred years ago…..

No less an authority on right-wing extremism than Laura Loomer, Donald Trump’s wacko loyalty policeman, said it: Republicans have a Nazi problem, warning that there are those “trying to redefine” the party “so it can become modern-day Hitler Youth.”

When a Loomer admits it, you know this is a real problem, not just a liberal fabrication.

The Republicans’ entanglement with Nazism — especially after a recent kerfuffle involving conservative hero Tucker Carlson, Nazi apologist Nick Fuentes, and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts (more on that to come) — has been much written about, as GOP stalwarts argue over whether they should denounce Nazi sympathizers or make common cause with them. This is a debate that really shouldn’t be a debate at all, and certainly not one that requires another disquisition on the Republicans’ moral bankruptcy.

But I am delivering one nonetheless, because — no matter how much space this courtship has been given, no matter how many pundits decry the celebration of Nazis and the canonization of Adolf Hitler by large segments of the conservative movement, no matter how often conservatives trot out antisemitic tropes, and no matter how often conservative leaders declare that this would be a much better country if it were a dictatorship — the fact that one of our two major parties actively, publicly, enthusiastically embraces Nazism should be a scandal, a horror, and a disgrace. Not something to be promptly forgotten, as it has been, but something that should be a front-page story every single day.

Lest we forget — and Republicans seem to have forgotten — the Nazis were the bad guys, the very personification of evil, the force that hundreds of thousands of Americans gave their lives to defeat, and the gleeful, bloodthirsty murderers of millions. They needed to be destroyed, forever castigated as the very worst of humanity, not emulated. Yet emulated they are.

So, yes, Ms. Loomer: The Republicans do, indeed, have a Nazi problem, and that means America has one too.

America’s Nazi Problem

What amazes me is that many average Americans see no problem with the direction the government is taking….I have people I know that see no problem with the direction that I do not understand for they see and hear the same information I do yet they are content with the erosion of our rights as Americans.

How can this be?

We live in a ‘Dual State”…..

Life under authoritarianism is actually, for the most part, weirdly normal. It’s often even, well, boring. The average person can go about their day as usual. You take your kids to school, you head to the office, and yes, you even host dinner parties. You live in the realm that Fraenkel referred to as “the normative state,” and from within that realm, it’s easy to think that if you just keep your head down and avoid making waves, you’ll be perfectly fine, thank you very much.

Fraenkel’s book is called The Dual State for a reason. This first state, the business-as-usual one, actually exists to lull you into a sense of complacency such that you don’t realize that another state is also operating in parallel with it. That second state, which Fraenkel calls “the prerogative state,” only becomes visible to you when you do something that the powers that be don’t like. Then suddenly you’re in a realm where the rule of law does not exist, where citizens can be killed with impunity, where you — even you, who thought you were invulnerable — can become a target.

The dark genius of this setup is that most people don’t realize that the prerogative state is active until it’s too late. They only wake up when the knock comes on their very own door — or when the door is forcefully broken down.

“The Dual State lives by veiling its true nature,” Fraenkel wrote.

That’s why it’s not surprising to me that your friends have been politically inactive. If they think of themselves as “not the target” — if they’re citizens, if they’re white, if they don’t speak with the “wrong” accent or express the “wrong” political views in public — it’s extremely easy for them to think everything is mostly normal, because the whole political apparatus is designed to make them think exactly that.

(yahoo.com)

Cut it any way you like but the ugliness of the Goon Platoon and Donny’s sycophants is getting out of hand.

We are entering into a world that was crushed before and it will again….but only if the American people have the courage to step up.

Do we?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Voting Reform?

My state as well as many others are in this frenzy to keep voter fraud to a minimum….voters are having to jump through hoops to vote…..basically some of the measures are nothing more than a poll tax and a way to keep the vote to mostly white people….exclusion is the main objective.

Donny and his Magic Sharpie has just signed another EO on voting…..

President Trump is trying to put a tighter federal grip on how Americans vote by mail—and the fight is likely headed straight to court. On Tuesday, he signed an executive order aimed at limiting who can receive mail-in ballots, arguing it will curb what he called “legendary” cheating in absentee voting ahead of November’s midterms, when control of Congress is at stake, Politico reports.

  • “The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary. It’s horrible, what’s gone on,” Trump said during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office. The AP notes, however, that a 2025 Brookings Institution report found that voting fraud occurred in only around four cases per 10 million mail ballots— 0.000043% of total mail ballots cast.
  • The order directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile a federal list of approved absentee voters. The Postal Service would be instructed to send mail-in ballots only to people on that list. It also directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate and prosecute “election officials, individuals, and other entities that violate the law by issuing or distributing Federal ballots to ineligible voters,” CNBC reports. The order threatens to cut federal funds from states that refuse to comply.
  • The move is expected to face legal challenges that could drag on past the midterms. Marc Elias, a leading Democratic voting-rights attorney, said he plans to sue, calling the order unconstitutional. “If Trump signs an unconstitutional Executive Order to take over voting, we will sue. I don’t bluff and I usually win,” Elias wrote on X. Officials in Oregon and Arizona also pledged to sue, accusing Trump of trying to violate their states’ right to run elections, the AP reports. “We don’t need decrees from Washington, DC,” said Tobias Read, the Democratic secretary of state in Oregon, which has voted entirely by mail since 1998. “My message to the President: We’ll see you in court.”

Wait!  Did not Donny just vote by mail-in?

“The Constitution is very clear—the president has no power over elections in the states.”

But to be fair just how prevalent is voter fraud?

It is NOT a problem.

With the Senate taking up the GOP voter suppression bill that is Donald Trump’s top legislative priority, we thought it would be good to take a closer look at the reason why Republicans claim that this legislation is needed: the supposed scourge of noncitizens voting.

People familiar with the debate know that it isn’t much of a problem at all. That’s because it is illegal for non-Americans to vote in federal elections, and since the upside of doing so, i.e., casting one additional ballot among tens of millions of others, stands in no relation to the downside, i.e., imprisonment and deportation, hardly anybody does it.

How rare is it that somebody commits this most pointless of crimes?

We are so glad you asked! Let’s take a look.

Including the 2000 presidential election, which is a great reference point not only because it’s a quarter century in the past but also because it was decided by 537 votes* and therefore any small factor could have made a huge difference, Americans have cast about 1.5 billion ballots in federal elections.

According to the conservative Heritage Foundation, aka “the Project 2025 guys,” aka “a bunch of guys who support voter suppression and are therefore really intent on finding evidence that noncitizens voting is a widespread problem,” exactly 100 aliens have been caught committing voter fraud.

In other words, according to these numbers, one noncitizen is caught trying to vote illegally for every 15,000,000 votes cast.

Or, to put it differently, if you wanted to randomly pick out a non-American at a polling place, you’d have a 1 in 15 million chance to be successful.

Those aren’t great odds.

What Are the Odds of a Noncitizen Voting? We’re Glad You Asked

If you believe the wizards of propaganda we have a problem…..but it you look at the big picture then there is NO problem.

The problem we do have is that pundits are gaming the numbers to enact all sorts of silly and wasteful measures to limit who gets to have a vote in our elections.

In essence this is theft of an election….there is your fraud.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–05Apr26

Our Clueless leader has been doing what he does best….screwing up a country in need.

The last week saw a continuation of our war on Iran, firing the AG, a speech that wasted time, plus we are searching for a missing pilot….and in about 24 hours Donny’s ultimatum to Iran will expire…..then what?

Remember that loud mouth racist that got shot awhile back…..well there is more to the story and could make for a helluva conspiracy.

Ballistic experts have revealed why the bullet which fatally wounded Charlie Kirk may not match the alleged assassin’s gun.

Tyler Robinson was named as the man charged with killing the Turning Point USA founder at an event at Utah Valley University on 10 September 2025

https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/north-sentinel-island-tribe-resurfaced-footage-207025-20260404

Donny has a plan to ban paper money…..

The days of pulling a crumpled $20 bill out of your wallet may be numbered. The U.S. Treasury has officially greenlit a sweeping monetary overhaul that will replace all paper currency with a combination of government-issued cryptocurrency and physical gold coins by 2027.

The plan calls for a full phase-out of paper money in favor of two new official forms of payment: TrumpCoin, a blockchain-based digital currency, and a line of gold coins embossed with the president’s likeness in denominations of $5, $20, $100 and what the Treasury memo describes simply as “the big one.”

The days of pulling a crumpled $20 bill out of your wallet may be numbered. The U.S. Treasury has officially greenlit a sweeping monetary overhaul that will replace all paper currency with a combination of government-issued cryptocurrency and physical gold coins by 2027.

The plan calls for a full phase-out of paper money in favor of two new official forms of payment: TrumpCoin, a blockchain-based digital currency, and a line of gold coins embossed with the president’s likeness in denominations of $5, $20, $100 and what the Treasury memo describes simply as “the big one.”

https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/us-treasury-approves-president-trumps-plan-to-phase-out-paper-money/

Donny is considering pulling out of NATO…..

After slamming allies for failing to join the US-Israeli war in Iran, and threatening no more US support, President Trump is now suggesting the US may pull out of NATO. Asked if he was considering withdrawing, Trump told the Telegraph the matter is “beyond reconsideration.” “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too,” he said, going on to argue that allies have failed to reciprocate US support in places like Ukraine and are unreliable partners in the current Iran conflict. He said support should be “automatic.”

(Here is the real reason he wants to pull out)

The NATO treaty demands countries refrain from threats or use of force in international relations; strengthen free institutions; work to resist armed attack; consult with members when one’s territory, independence, or security is threatened; and view an attack on one as an attack on all when occurring in eligible territory while offering “such action as it deems necessary.” Trump’s threat to leave the alliance—a move that would require support from two-thirds of the Senate under a 2023 law, per the Wall Street Journal—comes as senior British officers publicly warn of the country’s lack of readiness and as Trump aides float potential US troop withdrawals from Germany.

Baby Vance has a new title…..

President Trump has handed his vice president a new title: “fraud czar.” The president said Friday that JD Vance will lead efforts to root out what Trump alleges is fraud involving federal social-welfare funds, with a particular emphasis on states led by Democrats, Reuters reports.

  • “Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of ‘FRAUD’ in the United States,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “It is massive and pervasive, and the job he will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be. We will call him the ‘FRAUD CZAR.'” He claimed that the “numbers are so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget.”
  • The assignment stems from an executive order Trump signed last month creating a national task force under Vance’s leadership to pursue the president’s long-running accusations that some states are misusing federal welfare dollars. Trump said Vance’s focus would technically be “EVERYWHERE” but concentrated on California, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine, and New York. He said “raids have already started” in Los Angeles. In a post on X Thursday, Vance praised an operation that targeted health care and hospice fraud in the Los Angeles area, the Hill reports. “Our task force isn’t wasting any time cracking down on fraud,” Vance wrote.

Crack down on fraud?  Sorry but the title made me laugh.  Think about it.

What a pack of clueless boobs!

Speaking of clueless boobs….

The College Republicans of America (CRA) — an organization for young conservatives that has over 280 chapters on campuses nationwide, as well as had numerous recent scandals involving bigoted statements from its leadership — appointed right-wing broadcaster Kai Schwemmer as its new political director on March 5.

However, Schwemmer has ties to white supremacist Nick Fuentes, and a recent review of Schwemmer’s past videos reportedly revealed his homophobic, antisemitic, and racist comments, including a claim that gay men are trying to give people AIDS by taking over gyms. The CRA has refused to apologize for hiring Schwemmer and said it will not bow down to the “woke mob” that has expressed concern over his views.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/03/leader-of-national-gop-organization-says-gay-men-take-over-gyms-to-spread-aids/

Then there is the idiot from Florida (that really does not help for there are so many)….but in this case that moron Matt Gaetz….

Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz has claimed that the US is secretly running ‘forced breeding programs’ working to create alien-human hybrids.

The controversial conservative firebrand added that a member of the US military described this program to him in detail, saying there were six to 12 secret facilities around the country engaged in abducting humans to mate with extraterrestrials.

Gaetz said: ‘I had someone come and brief me who was in a military uniform, worked for the United States Army, that was briefing me on the locations of hybrid breeding programs where captured aliens were breeding with humans to create some hybrid race that could engage in intergalactic communication.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15701963/matt-gaetz-alien-human-breeding-programs.html

That does it for me for there is only so much stupid I want to force upon my loyal readers….I apologize.

Now the cleanse the way…..

Have a wonderful Easter and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–04Apr26

It is the Easter weekend and all is well….

Local–Weather here has been early summer….80s high and mid 70s lows….it is disgusting.  But people are delirious at the temps so they can frolic on a contaminated beach….

Personal–Not much to report…still battling with health issues and trying to stay out of the weather.

Let us begin with the big news for scifi fans….

We have a new moon mission and could be the start of something big…..

The Fifth Dimension is possible….not the musical group from the 70s but rather a real 5th dimension….

Scientists say they can explain dark matter by positing a particle that links to a fifth dimension.

While the “warped extra dimension” (WED) is a trademark of a popular physics model first introduced in 1999, research published in The European Physical Journal Cin 2021 is the first to cohesively use the theory to explain the long-lasting dark matter problem within particle physics.

Our knowledge of the physical universe relies on the idea of dark matter, which takes up the vast majority of matter in the universe. Dark matter is a kind of pinch hitter that helps scientists explain how gravity works, because a lot of features would dissolve or fall apart without an “x factor” of dark matter. Even so, dark matter doesn’t disrupt the particles we do see and “feel,” meaning it must have other special properties as well.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70855909/fermion-particle-fifth-dimension-portal-discovery/

That brings me to the multiverse…..all things comics….Marvel, DC, etc  but is it just imagination or is it real?

The idea of a multiverse – a hypothetical collection of all possible universes – is one that science fiction fans love to explore. But does the multiverse actually exist?

To answer the question of whether the multiverse is real, we first need to agree on what it means for something to be real. As an astrophysicist who studies cosmology – the large-scale history and structure of the universe – and the philosophy of physics, I’ve thought about this question more than a few times over my career.

The most immediate definition of “real” might be that you can see and touch it. My lunch is real in this sense, because I can taste it and you can hear me chewing it (hopefully not too loudly). So “real” might be defined as something you can perceive with at least one of your five senses.

But that would leave out a lot of things that are also real. The microwaves that heat up your food are real, but you can’t directly perceive them – only their effect, heated food. So some real things you can “see” only indirectly by the evidence they leave behind. The existence of dinosaurs is another example – you can see only their fossils.

So, you can ask two versions of the question of whether the multiverse is real. One: Can you see, hear, touch, smell or taste it? Two: Even if you can’t, is there any evidence of its effects?

https://theconversation.com/are-multiverses-real-an-astrophysicist-explains-why-it-depends-on-how-you-define-real-268357

As long as this is my scifi section for this week…..how about this bit?

A recently declassified CIA document confirms that after Soviet troops shot down a UFO in 1987, the aliens turned 23 soldiers into stone.

In March 2026, a rumor resurfaced on social media claiming that a declassified CIA document confirmed that aliens turned 23 Soviet soldiers to stone after a UFO was shot down.

The caption of one Instagram post (archived) sharing the claim said the alleged incident happened between 1989 and 1990, “when a Soviet military unit allegedly shot down a low-flying saucer-shaped UFO during training exercises.”

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cia-document-aliens-soviet-troops/

Are you buying this?

More on UFO…..and Donny says he will release proof…..and then a dude disappears….

Police in New Mexico are knocking on a lot of doors in the hunt for a missing former Air Force general with a high-level UFO background. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office says investigators have reached out to more than 600 homeowners near the Albuquerque residence of retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, asking for security camera footage or any information that might pinpoint his movements since he vanished on foot on Feb. 28, leaving his phone behind, per the New York Post. Despite dozens of tips, authorities say they still have no confirmed sightings. Early on, they noted they were concerned for McCasland’s safety “due to his medical issues,” per Fox News.

A Silver Alert is in effect for McCasland, who once led research at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, overseeing classified space weapons programs. That role, and his expertise on alleged government knowledge of extraterrestrials, has drawn wider attention to the case. Journalist Ross Coulthart called the disappearance “a grave national security crisis” on his podcast, tying its timing to President Trump’s recent call for the Pentagon to prepare UFO-related files for release, per NewsNation. The sheriff’s office, working with the FBI, says it continues to pursue every lead and is urging anyone with information to contact its Missing Persons Unit or submit tips online.

Where did he go?

The American government now has an official site for UFOs…..

Washington quietly grabbed a corner of the internet this week that’s bound to fuel speculation: Aliens.gov now belongs to the White House, 404 Media reports. A bot that tracks federal web domains spotted the Executive Office of the President registering the address early Wednesday, though the URL doesn’t yet lead to a live site. The timing comes about a month after President Trump vowed to order the release of government records related to extraterrestrial life, UFOs—now more often dubbed “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAP—and any associated programs. Trump made that promise on his Truth Social platform, saying he would tell the “Secretary of War” and other agencies to start identifying and disclosing files on what he called “extremely interesting and important matters.”

The new domain lands amid a long-running boom in official and semi-official UFO talk: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has pushed for broader declassification of UAP material; rock musician Tom DeLonge’s To The Stars outfit helped publicize Pentagon cockpit videos of odd objects tracked by Navy pilots; and Congress has held multiple hearings, with mixed results. Public fascination cooled somewhat last year after the Wall Street Journal reported that portions of the Pentagon’s UFO lore were tied to disinformation efforts meant to hide secret weapons programs. (And certain outlets seem wary of the idea that aliens.gov will bring any real information; Gizmodo calls the domain name registration simply “the next distraction from everything else” while the Daily Beast gets more explicit, calling it the “next Epstein distraction.”)

Interest spiked again in February, when former President Obama told interviewer Brian Tyler Cohen that aliens are “real” but added he hadn’t seen them and didn’t believe they were hidden at Area 51—unless there was a vast plot that even excluded him. After the clip went viral, Obama clarified on Instagram that while the odds favor life somewhere in the universe, he saw no evidence during his presidency that Earth has been visited. Asked about Obama’s remarks days later, Trump accused him of revealing “classified information” and then half-joked he might “get him out of trouble” by declassifying related material. Whether aliens.gov becomes the public portal for that pledge—or remains a mysterious piece of digital real estate—hasn’t been explained. Asked about it by Newsweek, a White House press rep said simply, “Stay tuned.”

It appears I was a bit sciencey today.

Finally it is Easter weekend and a time for chocolate rabbits and such….and some of it is missing….

Easter candy shoppers in Europe may be hunting for more than eggs this year. Nestlé says an entire truckload of its new KitKat line—about 12 tons, or 413,793 bars—vanished between its factory in central Italy and a distribution site in Poland. The company said Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found,” adding that it’s working with local authorities and logistics partners to track them down. Nestlé warned the theft could leave store shelves short of KitKats ahead of the Easter rush and cautioned that the bars might surface through unofficial sellers, CBS News reports.

The chocolate bars were to be distributed throughout Europe, per the AP. Each bar carries a batch code that can be scanned; if the code matches the stolen shipment, the scanner will receive instructions on how to notify KitKat, which says it will pass the information to the proper authorities. The company treated the theft as amusing but not exactly funny. “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat said in a statement.

But the best news came from the world of entertainment…..

Reality TV, once cable’s workhorse, is now seeing more and more of its cameras turn off. MTV is ending Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and Catfish; HGTV has axed shows like Christina on the Coast; and similar cuts are happening at Food Network, TLC, Lifetime, E!, and more, per the New York Times. The number of new unscripted series in the US has dropped by roughly a third since 2022, according to research firm Luminate, with every subgenre—from cooking and travel to true crime—feeling the squeeze. Even budget-friendly reality formats are no match for the collapse of cable revenue, consolidation among media companies, and a surge in audience members heading over to YouTube and other digital platforms.

Some stalwarts still pull viewers—think Survivor, Below Deck, and the Housewives universe—and newcomers like The Traitors and Love Island USA do still break through, but networks are now far more cautious on how many shows they churn out and are leaning hard on existing brands. Workers behind the scenes describe a contracting industry: longtime editors and supervisors laid off, teams halved, workloads rising. Instead of snapping up reality shows during the 2023 Hollywood strikes, studios mostly held back, with The Hollywood Reporter and Variety starting to track the reality-TV decline soon after. Meanwhile, YouTube became a new landing spot for talent and series like Somebody Feed Phil and a planned Yolanda Hadid home design show. One veteran executive sums it up as a march toward “fewer ideas from fewer companies.”

The death of fake reality?

Good riddance!

That does it for me….please enjoy your Easter weekend with family and friends…..and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”