Support Our Troops

Memorial Day has come and gone and all day long we heard (if you were out and about) just how massive our support for our troops is….sorry but Memorial Day is not about supporting the troops but rather those that had their lives taken from them in a time of war.

“Support our troops” is a catchphrase, almost a mantra, often used by cynical politicians to suppress dissent about their disastrous wars of choice. Basically, dissenters are accused of being unpatriotic because their criticism allegedly betrays the troops and weakens national resolve. It’s a BS argument but it’s often compelling and even convincing to some.

Americans have a civic religion defined by the Pledge of Allegiance, the flag, the National Anthem, military parades and pageantry, and U.S. history taught as heritage and as a celebration of American goodness and greatness. When you step outside of that, when you criticize it, dissent from it, you must be prepared to be attacked as a heretic.

Back in 2010, I wrote an article for TomDispatch in which I argued that not every American troop is a hero. I argued instead that real heroes are few and far between, and that the ideal of heroism shouldn’t be associated so closely, even almost exclusively, with military service. These are obvious points (to me, at least), but I took some flak for suggesting that merely donning a military uniform doesn’t and shouldn’t make one a “hero.”

I remain convinced that hyping the troops as universal “heroes” isn’t a form of support. The troops know better. If you truly want to support them, listen to them. Be an informed and knowledgeable citizen. Speak your mind and don’t be afraid to criticize those who seek to use the military for dishonorable or indefensible purposes.

Since this is America, theoretically land of the free, feel free as well to speak out against the military. Our founders were suspicious of large standing armies and were wary of wars as being especially pernicious to democracy.

We Americans celebrate our troops for defending freedom, yet we paradoxically attack those who try to exercise their freedom by denouncing war and militarism. You can’t have it both ways. Unless you want hypocrisy instead of democracy, you can’t celebrate freedom while denying it.

This was, of course, the so-called original sin of the American republic: celebrating freedom while also enshrining the institution of slavery. Rank hypocrisy led inexorably to the U.S. Civil War.

https://original.antiwar.com/william_astore/2026/05/24/support-our-troops-what-it-really-means/

This pseudo-religion is practiced everyday….with the singing of the anthem or the reciting of the Pledge, etc….but most participate because everyone around them is doing it….

I have a hard time with people that blindly thank me for my service but know nothing about me or how I was treated when I returned home.

If you want to ‘thank them for their service’ then become more engaged in what they must go through to return to civilian life….in some cases it is not an easy transformation.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

AI And Political Reality

AI is used for everything these day…..my cancer treatment is scheduled by AI….but the thing that is truly despicable is the use of AI in politics….

The recent election in Kentucky is a prime example of how bad and ruthless the use of AI can be in elections….

 

https://www.salon.com/2026/05/24/ai-is-breaking-our-political-reality/

 

Soon political lies will determine the winner of any elections…..no need to do the hard work of checking out the candidates…..just let AI choose what you believe.

It has come to that….and it will only get worse.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

From Debs To The DSA

As we count down to our next election and then the next general we should start looking beyond the silliness that is this two party system that has actually given this country nothing but grief.

Just have to throw some light on the Left in this country from late 19th century and into the 20th….yes it is a boring history lesson but a lesson that should be taught and learned….there is so much we can do as Americans and we need to be reminded of our strenth and power.

Eugene Debs….a tireless fighter for worker rights and unions….jailed several times for his work and even ran for president from prison….actually he ran for president 5 times starting in 1904 through 1920 and each time he got over 3% of the vote.  He was a tireless antiwar spokeman which got him arrested again for his opposition to American involvement in WW1….his voice lead the way for countless others, like myself, to see the problems and protest for a better nation.

Much of U.S. political commentary today oozes with pessimism: red-blue tribalism, the government shutdown, the alt-right … the list of fracture points is long. But for revolutionary socialists—those of us who believe an equitable world is possible if working people rise up and end capitalism—the picture is not all bad. A historic strike wave of teachers rolled across many regions of the country last spring, followed by the recent L.A. teachers’ revolt. Class struggle remains on the agenda, and many want an alternative to capitalism.

Given the increased interest in socialism, it’s worth defining the S-word: Does it refer to European Social Democracy (a la Sweden), the early Soviet Union, Cuba or something else entirely? Many people believe that socialism is foreign to the United States, a view that only reinforces the bourgeois status quo. In reality, socialist politics has a rich tradition in the U.S. and has influenced, as well as led, a variety of social movements. Today’s generation of radicals have the challenge of rescuing the best elements of the American socialist tradition from oblivion so we can effectively learn from the past and prepare for tomorrow.

When Bernie Sanders identified himself as a democratic socialist, Google searches for “socialism” spiked. Millions want to understand the legacy of socialist politics—what was achieved and what failed. In the United States, the Democratic Socialists of America has become the greatest beneficiary of renewed interest in socialism, with membership surging beyond 50,000. As a multitendency organization, the DSA has certain commonalities with the old U.S. Socialist Party (SP), the first anticapitalist party with real influence on American soil.

Most radicals today recognize the important achievements of the SP in the first decades of the 20th century. It led historic strikes, elected hundreds of its members to local and national offices and developed an array of newspapers—in a word, it made socialism relevant to American workers. That Eugene V. Debs, the SP’s most notable public figure, gained about a million votes for president while sitting in a jail cell for opposing World War I is proof positive that the Socialist Party is worth learning from.

https://www.leftvoice.org/from-debs-to-the-dsa-rescuing-americas-revolutionary-tradition/

The argument will be that the US is not going to embrace socialism…..and that is true only because of the distorted visions that the centrist want to present as facts.

Eighty-four percent of independent voters told pollsters last fall that “the United States is in a political crisis.” Democrats and Republicans flip back and forth on these kinds of questions depending on which team won the most recent election. But unaffiliated voters, the largest part of the electorate, are deeply concerned in ways that can’t be soothed by the next swing of the pendulum. Indeed, each “vibe shift” further convinces them that the system is see-sawing out of control.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5873079-american-dissatisfaction-political-system/

All this leaves open for a new way of politics….but will the American have enough energy to find the alternative?

AS it is today I do not think they will….they are too set ion their ways to change…..but as the society deteriorates all things are possible…..and now is the time to start the search for a better tomorrow.

Will we?

Or will we just pick ‘not the other guy”?

What will it be?

Change or more of the same?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Memorial Day (Observed)–2026

Today is Memorial Day (observed) and this will be my only post today for I must attend to the traditional stuff I do on this day.

There are many things that we as Americans should do on this solemn day….it is a day of remembrance not partying.

Ways to honor on Memorial Day….

  • Attend a Memorial Day Ceremony: Many communities organize Memorial Day ceremonies at local cemeteries, memorials, or Veterans’ organizations. Participating in these events provides an opportunity to pay tribute to fallen soldiers alongside fellow citizens and Veterans.
  • Visit a Military Cemetery: Take a moment to visit a Military cemetery in your area and place flowers or flags on the graves of fallen soldiers. This simple act of remembrance is a powerful way to honor their memory and show appreciation for their service.
  • Support Veterans and Military Families: Consider volunteering with organizations that support Veterans and Military families. Whether it’s organizing care packages, providing assistance with job placement, or offering emotional support, there are countless ways to give back to those who have served. Visit our volunteer page if you would be interested in volunteering with us at Soldiers’ Angels. We offer in-person and virtual options!
  • Educate Others: Use Memorial Day as an opportunity to educate others, especially younger generations, about the significance of the holiday and the sacrifices made by our Military personnel. Share stories of valor and heroism to ensure that the memory of our fallen heroes lives on.
  • Moment of Silence: At 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day, observe a moment of silence to honor the fallen. This simple yet profound gesture is a way to collectively pause and reflect on the sacrifices of those who gave everything for our country.
  • Give a gift in memory of a fallen hero: Soldiers’ Angels, along with countless other Military and Veteran nonprofits across the country, rely on donations in order to continue providing support to current and future generations of military-connected families. Giving a gift in memory of a fallen hero not only helps to memorialize their service but also pays it forward to other Service Members and Veterans who may be in a situation of need.

Just as there are things Americans can do to honor our fallen heroes….there are also things that should NOT be done….

  • Don’t wish someone “Happy Memorial Day.” This isn’t a joyful holiday like Christmas or the Fourth of July. It’s a solemn time set aside to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
  • Don’t thank active-duty service members—at least, not specifically for this day. While we deeply respect and honor those currently serving, Memorial Day is not about them. It’s about remembering the fallen. (We honor all veterans on Veterans Day in November.)
  • Don’t disregard the meaning of the day. It’s easy to let the long weekend become just about barbecues or big sales. But especially after the many conflicts our country has seen in recent decades, we must not let the memory of those who gave their lives become an afterthought.
  • Don’t let politics get in the way of respect. Whether or not we agree with any particular war or military decision, this day isn’t about politics. It’s not a day to glorify war—but to remember its cost and honor those who gave their lives in service.

This day is close to my heart as I always take the time to remember my friends that gave their all in Vietnam.

Please honor the Fallen in a proper manner.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–24May26

It has been an interesting week….starting with Donny’s lame idea of a prayer rally on last Sunday.

The big deal was Donny’s religious fervor rally….a rally that few attended and even Donny did not show up….

Practically no one attended Donald Trump’s eight-hour religious program Sunday on Washington’s National Mall.

Even the president—or his cabinet members—couldn’t be bothered to show up to Rededicate 250, which was billed as a “national jubilee of prayer, praise and thanksgiving.” A smattering of people attended the outdoor event, held during 90-degree weather and high humidity in the nation’s capital, to hear Trump’s glitchy, prerecorded message about God. Trump, meanwhile, was at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

https://newrepublic.com/post/210567/donald-trump-video-message-half-empty-christian-nationalist-event

This attempt was a bust….as it should have been.

Gabbard, DNI, is taking a powder…..

Another Cabinet member is leaving: Tulsi Gabbard is stepping down as the nation’s top intelligence official, reports the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. In a letter to Trump on Friday, Gabbard cited her husband’s fight with a rare bone cancer. “I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she wrote. Her last day is June 30.

Gabbard, who has led the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for about 18 months, thanked Trump for the opportunity and pledged a “smooth and thorough transition.” The Journal notes that while her departure comes amid war with Iran, the former Democratic congresswoman wasn’t closely involved in the decision-making for the conflict. Still, NBC News notes that she doesn’t appear to have been forced from her position, as was the case with former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

They are revving up the rhetoric against Cuba so look for something to break on the front.

Donny’s press secretary is just as nuts as the rest of his entourage….

Caroline Leavitt has taken to social media to share an unusual message about Satan, as she enjoys her maternity leave.

Taking to Instagram on May 17, Leavitt, 28, posted a screenshot from Google to her Instagram Story, which read, “2 Corinthians 4:4 states that ‘the god of this age’ Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Continuing, the screenshot further said, “This means spiritual darkness prevents people from understanding God’s truth until their hearts are opened.” This comes as Karoline Leavitt praised Margo Martin on Instagram.

https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/karoline-leavitt-instagram-message-satan-1842753

FBI Director has personalized bourbon bottles (go figure)….

The ninth man to lead the FBI is putting a very personal stamp on the job—right down to engraved bourbon bottles that read “Kash Patel FBI Director.” In the Atlantic, investigative reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick details how Patel has been handing out personalized Woodford Reserve bottles, complete with an FBI-style shield, an eagle, and his trademark “Ka$h,” to bureau employees and civilians alike. Current and former FBI and Justice Department officials tell Fitzpatrick the bottles are sometimes ferried on DOJ planes and have turned up at official events, including Quantico training and a trip to the Milan Olympics

The FBI doesn’t deny the bottles exist and says they’re part of a long-standing gift tradition, paid for by Patel and in line with ethics rules—claims it did not substantively document, per Fitzpatrick. Multiple agents, speaking largely anonymously, describe the liquor swag as unsettling, “demoralizing,” and emblematic of looser alcohol norms and a “merch forward” director (Patel does hawk his own branded merch here via the Kash Foundation) more focused on self-branding than quiet professionalism. “Handing out bottles of liquor at the premier law-enforcement agency—it makes me frightened for the country,” says former FBI analyst George Hill. “Standards apply to everything and everyone—especially the boss.” Read Fitzpatrick’s full piece in the Atlantic for the detailed reporting, documents, and voices behind these concerns.

With Donny waffling back and forth on Iran there is a chance he will order American troops into Iran…..MTG has made it clear what that will do….

Marjorie Taylor Greene has openly warned of a political revolution in the United States if President Donald Trump decides to send American soldiers into Iran. The warning came on May 18, 2026, and it signals a serious split within the MAGA movement as tensions over the Iran conflict continue to grow.

The situation heated up on a Sunday afternoon when Greene posted on X to make her position clear. She wrote, “If you send in U.S. military troops into Iran, there is going to be a political revolution in America. WE. ARE. DONE. We said no more foreign wars and we meant it.” She also added, “The coalition will unite and be unstoppable. I’ll make sure of it,” and followed it up with, “End this war. It’s stupid.”

https://wegotthiscovered.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-is-threatening-donald-trump-publicly-with-a-revolution-his-next-move-might-be-the-one-that-finally-breaks-maga/

I do not know what happen to MTG to change her from a MAGA hardliner to a MAGA critic but what ever it was …..thank you.

With Donny and the mindless coming up with new ‘domestic terror’ bullshit…..he can now go after Tucker Carlson as a ‘terrorists’ because he criticizes the idiot in the White House….

Two right-wing figures — Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes — have been named by the White House as possible domestic terrorists, according to the Trump administration’s top counterterrorism official.

Sebastian Gorka, himself a former right-wing influencer turned National Security Council principal, has been making his rounds on conservative media, explaining the meaning and purpose behind the President’s new National Counterterrorism Strategy (which I reported on previously).

Between grandiose monologues about his vision of a crusade to save Western civilization from “anti-American” and “anti-Christian” extremism, Gorka let slip that the administration’s war on “domestic terrorism” isn’t just aimed at the left. It targets anyone who isn’t in line with the broader MAGA agenda. While Trump’s national security directive NSPM-7 explicitly singles out the left with its list of so-called terrorism indicators, many of them could describe people on the right as well.

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/new-counterterror-strategy-eyes-tucker

Watch the fascist Gorka….he is as trustworthy as a rattlesnake in heat.

Now there is a fund to compensate Jan.6 rioters for their treatment….

Less than a week after the Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate those who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration, Jan. 6 defendants and allies of President Donald Trump are lining up to seek their share of the unprecedented compensation fund.

Sitting in his car outside a campaign event in Minnesota as he runs for governor, My Pillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell told ABC News he hopes his company employees receive millions from the fund for what he believes is the weaponization of the Biden administration against him for his actions after the 2020 election.

Lindell — one of the leading proponents of 2020 election fraud claims — told ABC News that third-party auditors estimate his company and employees lost $400 million for the election-related lawsuits and government investigations that followed the election. While Lindell said he personally does not expect to get any money from the fund, he said he hopes his employees — who own a stake of My Pillow — can apply for compensation.

https://abcnews.com/US/trump-allies-jan-6-defendants-lining-apply-17/story

I say screw those toads they deserve NOTHING….for they are TRAITORS!~

A trip to Gitmo would be my gift to the insurrectionists.

Enough of the downer stuff….I leave you today with a few jokes that should pop a smile on your face….

We love a good joke, especially if it brings out a huge laugh. Simple jokes are the best ones because it doesn’t matter if you have comedic timing or not, they always hit. Today, you’ll read a bunch of them.

We have classic jokes like: ‘I’ve got a collection of vacuum cleaners. They’re just gathering dust.’ Some are more existential questions: ‘Ever notice how broken glass tastes like blood?’ And some that will make the person hearing it, feel dumb: ‘What has toes but isn’t your foot? My foot.’

Whether you think these are good or bad, you can’t say you aren’t laughing. Get ready for tears in your face and a tummy ache. Start sliding.

https://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/20-short-jokes-that-get-a-laugh-every-time-theyre-told/87752850/

I hope you and your family have a restful Sunday and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scibo”

IST Saturday News Dump–23May26

Another Saturday after another week of strange doings from our man in DC….

Local–Tall ships arrive at NOLA for the 250th celebration….

New Orleans hosts a flotilla of international tall ships next week for the kickoff of Sail 250, which is part of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Why it matters: The 12 ships will be open for free public tours along the Mississippi Riverfront.

The big picture: The vessels start arriving May 27. They’ll be open to the public Thursday, May 28, through Sunday, May 31.

https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/05/20/international-tall-ships-sail250-america-250-celebration

Personal–Chemo yesterday has once again kicked my ass….so please forgive me if I go off the rails here or there.

My first beer was with my grandfather and it was a Schlitz and now it is going away….

A former American beer aisle mainstay is about to vanish. Pabst Brewing has shut down Schlitz after a 177-year run, ending the brand once known as the country’s biggest brewer and “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. To mark the exit, Wisconsin Brewing Co.’s Kirby Nelson will cook up one last 80-barrel batch on May 23 in Verona, using Schlitz’s 1948 recipe, which he calls a return to its “glory days,” when it was the nation’s top-selling beer.

Nelson tells Milwaukee magazine that he decided to give the beer a fitting send-off after a distributor told him that it had been quietly discontinued. “Things change, but Schlitz deserves better than just to be swept under the rug,” Nelson says. “It really needs to go out with dignity and respect.” Preorders for the final run open May 27 on the brewery’s website, with pickup starting June 27 at a public celebration; the beer will also pour at Old World Wisconsin’s July 4 anniversary event.

Schlitz’s story stretches from its 1849 founding as a Milwaukee tavern brewery, through decades as a corporate powerhouse and civic sponsor, to a fall triggered by cost-cutting recipe changes, labor strife, and plant closures. Sold off in the 1980s and relaunched by Pabst in 2008, Schlitz never fully reclaimed its former footprint. Stroh Brewing shifted Schlitz brewing operations out of Milwaukee after it bought the brand in 1982 and Nelson says it’s “flattering” to be able to brew the final batch of Schlitz in the city where it began. The brew, he says, “is Wisconsin Brewing Company’s love letter to our state.”

Bye to an old friend.

Let’s move on while I am upright….

Remember the film “The Matrix”?….well scientist think there may be something to it….

Physicist Melvin Vopson is trying to prove that information has a physical presence. If he can do that, it could lead to a fundamental shift in how we think about the universe and could even explain the presence of dark matter and dark energy.

Vopson, PhD, studies information theory at University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and wants to conduct an experiment to confirm that elementary particles have measurable mass. If it turns out the way he expects, the results would prove that information has mass and is the fifth state of matter in the universe, along with gas, plasma, liquid, and solid states.

“More profoundly, it will show that our universe is mathematical and it would bridge a link between mathematics, computing, and the material [or] physical world,” Vopson said in an email. “This can radically transform the way we look at everything in physics and other sciences. This new component of matter in the universe could be the missing link in explaining so many unexplained phenomena including dark matter and dark energy.”

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a71321055/dark-matter-universe-simulation/

I am not a big fan of Popular Mechanics but I thought it deserved a posting.

As long as we are into weird science…..not the movie but the ‘research’…..

What if you aren’t actually in control of your own destiny? What if another version of you from some parallel universe is steering the wheel of your life? Or, what if an infinite number of alternate “yous” are all tugging at the controls simultaneously?

That’s essentially the argument physicist Vlatko Vedral laid out recently in Popular Mechanics, using quantum physics to dismantle the idea that human consciousness magically creates reality.

First, let’s start by defining the “observer effect,” because it’s the widely accepted idea that Vedral is smashing apart. The observer effect is the idea that simply observing or measuring something inevitably alters it. One classic example is a tire pressure gauge. By checking tire pressure, you’re allowing a small amount of air to escape; thus, by merely observing/measuring, you have altered the subject.

New Theory Suggests That Alternate Universe Versions Of You Are Determining Your Fate

Does that explain anything for you?

When you are born you enter into a world with a blank slate of a brain, right?

Not so fast!

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

  • For a long time, people have debated whether our brains are blank at birth or are already processing large amounts of information.
  • By studying mice throughout their lives, scientists revealed that a network of neurons in the hippocampus starts out dense and chaotic, but later thins out and becomes more ordered.
  • More research needs to be done on human brains, but it’s clear that even though most of us don’t remember ourselves as babies, our brains were working furiously.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a71271507/brain-not-empty-at-birth/

Again it is Popular Mechanics….not a source that I rely on…..

Interested in acquiring and ‘ray gun”?

As the world’s de facto portal to the Chinese industrial machine, Alibaba probably doesn’t get as much credit as it should. With hundreds of thousands of sellers looking to supply their dirt-cheap wares directly to businesses, your typical entrepreneur is spoiled for choice. In the market for a military-grade diesel supply truck? They’ve got your back. Interested in an industrial gold trommel? Say no more!

But where the commoditized absurdity of Alibaba really shines, in our opinion, is in its cornucopia of bizarre laser products, a massive number of which are configured to look like handguns or even flashy, space-age rifles.

Although there are legitimate industrial-grade laser systems available on the conventional market, a motivated chaos enthusiast could easily get their hands on a pallet of handheld alternatives, like the pastel-colored “400W-500W handheld laser obstacle removal machine” sold on Alibaba by Shenzhen Liyang Welding Equipment Co Ltd for $885 to $1,150, depending on the model number and order size.

If you’re willing to shell out a little more, you could get your hands on the 1kW, 58V “remote-controlled igniter.” Sold by Gonglian International Trade (Nanjing) Co Ltd for just $1,600, a laser of this power can theoretically cut through 6mm of stainless or carbon steel, and is more than enough to cause blindness.

https://futurism.com/science-energy/alibaba-laser-weapons

You too can get a mini-death ray.

That does it for me……I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and as always…..B e Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

2024 Election Autopsy

NOTE:  Today I get juiced so this will be my only post today as I try to recover from the chemicals…..thanx for understanding.

The DNC has released the autopsy of the 2024 election loss….it has been a secret and held in confidence….why?

Why keep the reasons for their losses from the voter?

My autopsy was wrong candidate, wrong issues and a weak party that bows to special interests…..and now here is what the DNC found….

The Democratic Party’s official postmortem on the 2024 election has finally surfaced, but the DNC is distancing itself from its own document. Released Thursday after months of internal pressure, the draft “autopsy” of Kamala Harris’ failed presidential bid, which can be seen here, is stamped with a disclaimer from the Democratic National Committee saying it “does not meet our standards” and that the party “cannot independently verify” its findings.

  • Prepared by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera and based on hundreds of interviews, the report pins much of the blame on Joe Biden’s White House, arguing it failed to give Kamala Harris the profile and preparation she needed before she became the nominee, the Washington Post reports.
  • “The White House did not position or prepare the Vice President,” it says, suggesting that earlier efforts to elevate her might have boosted Biden’s numbers and left Harris better equipped to lead the ticket.
  • The draft also faults what it calls “denialist” thinking inside the party—arguing that focusing on razor-thin margins instead of deeper problems blocks “real accountability.” The document says Democrats lost key ground with voters in “Middle America,” the South, and rural areas, who it says feel excluded from the party’s agenda. It criticizes a Harris strategy that “wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate.”
  • The report also recounts that Trump campaign ads targeting Harris’ positions on transgender issues tested as “very effective,” and that pollsters concluded there was “nothing which would have worked as a response” if she didn’t change her position.
  • Beyond 2024, the autopsy laments that the party has “vacillated between stagnation and retrogression” since Barack Obama’s 2008 win, CNN reports. Since 2008, Democrats have steadily lost power “at every level” due to “missed opportunities to invest in our states, counties, and local parties and candidates.” Democratic candidates, the report says, “have proven incapable of projecting strength, unity, and leadership, and voters have drifted away.”
  • In a lengthy statement, DNC Chair Ken Martin said he’d held it back to avoid reopening old wounds after the 2024 loss, but conceded that the secrecy “ended up creating an even bigger distraction” and apologized.
  • “I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin said. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount. So, today I am releasing the report as I received it—in its entirety, unedited and unabridged—with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified.”
  • Martin said when he received the report last year, it “wasn’t ready for primetime” and “because no source material was provided, fixing it would have meant starting over, from the beginning.” The annotations also flagged numerous factual errors, noting that while it said Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin had “consistently and reliably voted for Democratic candidates” before 2024, all three of those states voted for Trump in 2016.

There you have it!  The autopsy points to areas that the Dems have dropped the ball….and look at today’s party….they are looking for the ball they dropped decades ago.

Do you see a Democrat on the horizon that will project strength, unity and needed leadership?

I do not!

This autopsy was a waste of time…..held in secret and doing nothing to improve their plight….

Critics on Thursday slammed the controversial—and until now secret—Democratic National Committee autopsy of the 2024 election, which completely omitted some of the biggest issues affecting the contest, including President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the manner in which Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him atop the ticket, and the Gaza genocide.

The 2024 postmortem—which was written by strategist Paul Rivera and ostensibly examines why and how Democrats lost the White House to President Donald Trump and control of Congress to Republicans—was published online Thursday after it was obtained CNN. DNC Chair Ken Martin told CNN that he was “releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged,” for the sake of “full transparency.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/autopsy-dnc-2676925645

Now if you want to read the report for yourself and not take my word for its worthlessness…then here is you link…..please do not take my word for it….see what you think…..

A lot to take in but you will notice how one sided this document is…it is BS.

The DNC still is not ready for ‘primetime’…..and sorry to say that what they have now is a loser in 2028 unless they come up with a plan and quickly.

Whatcha think?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Opposing The War Machine

Anti-war is a movement dear to my heart for I was a participant in the 1970s after I returned from Vietnam….it pains me to see just how compliant the American people have become to the nightmare of war….but there are some that will not look the other way because they are told to do so…..

Let’s revive the movement on a massive scale….especially now when the government is staring war after war with no clear reason other than their lies and misinformation.

Time for Americans to return to the days of confrontating the war machine….

The war resides mostly in the background here in the aggressor nation. Most of those who think about it at all tend to oppose it and seem to think it’s a task forced on the US by the zealots running Israel. Some take it even further, presenting an argument that blames the relationship between the mad rulers of Israel and the United States for the entire catastrophe. The argument varies, but its essence is that Bibi Netanyahu is the individual responsible for convincing the sundowning Donald Trump to bomb Iran for the sake of Israel. There are those who argue that the reason for this is because Israel’s Mossad has compromising materials on Trump and his escapades with Jeffrey Epstein, while others place Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in the role of instigator. Of course, no one has produced a smoking gun for either possibility, even though both have a potential element of truth. It is likely that Epstein had some working relationship with Mossad and it’s an established fact that Kushner’s family have a long-term relationship with Netanyahu. Furthermore, Kushner is financially connected to Saudi Arabia and UAE’s monarchies. It’s an established fact that Israel, the Arab monarchies and the United States all oppose the Iranian government—its support of national liberation and anti-imperialist movements and its existence in general. Furthermore, all of these governments are more interested in maintaining the political situation in West Asia as it is and has been for decades. They are not interested in bringing popular democracy to the region, with some more than willing to maintain a constant state of war and occupation to maintain the current hierarchy of power.

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/oppose-the-war-and-its-machinery/

To build a sustained anti-war movement one must look to the past and its many failures….

Before discussing the strengths and failures of the last major anti-war movement, we need to step back and look at US history. What that history shows is that the inability to build and sustain an anti-war movement or mass presence is directly linked to the absence of what one might call an anti-imperial/pro-democratic foreign policy on the part of progressive movements. As a result, those who adhere to the notion of a need for peace and justice find ourselves in a Groundhog Day scenario on a regular basis, trying our best to ignite or reignite a mass movement against US aggression each time that aggression raises its ugly head.

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/anti-war-movement-history/

The only way to make sure that there is always opposition to any worthless war we need a movement that will be there for the long run and not one we need to rebuild with every war the government decides it needs to fight.

We need this movement now more than ever…..we cannot turn our backs on the opposition to senseless violence in the name of our country.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Racial Resentment

For many years now those religious nationalists have been plugging away at anything that smacks of equality….then in the past decade these creeps have been winning this fight.

What is it about racial resentment?

 

https://www.psypost.org/how-racial-resentment-relates-to-political-conservatism-across-different-white-religious-groups/

 

It is silly when we allow any one group to lead on trying to return this country to yesteryear.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Raul In The Crosshairs

Donny and his slugs are doing everything they can to find an excuse for any actions they take against Cuba…..like Venezuela they have found something that could ‘allow’ them to invade the island.

Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former Cuban president and longtime defense chief, has been hit with US criminal charges over a Cold War–style flashpoint from nearly three decades ago. In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, the Trump administration accuses Castro of conspiracy to kill US nationals, murder, and destruction of an aircraft in connection with the 1996 downing of two small planes flown by Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban-American exile group, CNN reports. The Washington Post reports that the indictment was returned by a grand jury in April and federal officials are expected to announce its unsealing at an event in Miami.

Prosecutors say Castro, then defense minister, ordered Cuban fighter jets to shoot down the civilian aircraft over international waters, killing four men, including three US citizens. Several Cuban airmen were also charged with conspiracy to kill Americans.

  • The move dramatically escalates Washington’s pressure on Havana and deepens a relationship already strained by sanctions and harsh rhetoric. Critics see the case as another example of the administration using the Justice Department to pursue adversarial foreign leaders, following the operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, now jailed in New York on drug-trafficking charges.
  • The indictment also arrives amid speculation about US military moves; Trump has publicly mused that Cuba is “gonna fall pretty soon” and that he could “do anything I want with it,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken openly about seeking regime change. CIA Director John Ratcliffe quietly visited Cuba last week, though officials have not disclosed what was discussed.
  • In Miami, news of the charges was greeted with a mix of relief and cautious optimism by relatives of the 1996 victims, CNN reports. At a gathering at Freedom Tower, survivor Sylvia Iriondo, who was on a third plane that managed to escape, called it “a day of hope, a day that marks a road of justice … that has eluded our families and communities for 30 years,” adding, “Justice needs to be done.”
  • Whether Castro or the other defendants will ever see the inside of a US courtroom, however, remains uncertain. The Post notes that it is unlikely that Castro will be extradited to the US, meaning “the indictment is likely to remain symbolic unless the US takes aggressive action to remove Castro from Cuba.”

What total garbage….if this is a ‘norm’ then should not BiBi be indicted for the death of so many civilians in Gaza and West Bank?  Or the Saudis for their extreme beheadings for minor BS.

This is an excuse, a way to justify an invasion of Cuba….the US will attack a country that poses NO THREAT to the US.

Donny is getting as bloodthirsty as his butt buddy BiBi….he must be stopped…..Congress the ball is in your court….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”