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”

We Are ‘Domestic Terrorists’

Do you actively criticize or protest Donny and his merry band of crooks?

If so you may be labeled a domestic terrorist…..Donny and the Hand Job Gang has defined it as….

The brainchild of National Security Council official Sebastian Gorka, the “Counterterrorism Strategy” weaves together Trump’s war on the wider world — which stretches from interventions and wars in Yemen and Iran to Nigeria and Somalia to Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea — with the administration’s war on dissent at home, which has targeted immigrants, legal observers, activists, protesters, and the press.

…

Now, according to the Trump administration, the nation is battling three major types of terror groups: “Legacy Islamist Terrorists,” the long-standing focus of America’s counter-terror efforts; “Narcoterrorists and Transnational Gangs”; and “Violent Left-Wing Extremists, including Anarchists and Anti-Fascists.”

This last group is defined in the document as people the administration deems to be “anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist.” This puts antifa — a fictional foe that is actually a collection of ideas and not an organization — on par with actual terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and drug-trafficking syndicates such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

How Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy Puts You at Risk

According to these slugs that definition would be me….

I will not deny that I think that Donny and The Slugs are a cancer on our society and the sooner we can eliminate the tumor the sooner we can rebuild this once great country….

So since I am a big mouth opponent am I worried that they will come get me while I sleep?

I will lose little sleep worrying about that….but will they charge me with being a ‘domestic terrorist’?

Unless something changes….there is no federal statute to charge anyone as ‘a domestic terrorist’….you can be charged for a lot of things but a domestic terrorist is not one of them in a legal sense.

Despite officials’ proclivity for the phrase, there is no federal statute to charge someone with domestic terrorism. Federal law does define domestic terrorism—criminal acts “dangerous to human life,” intended to intimidate civilians or influence government policy. But as the FBI noted in a November 2020 memo, “This is a definitional statute, not a charging statute.” The bureau prefers the term domestic violent extremism “because the underlying ideology itself and the advocacy of such beliefs is not prohibited by US law.”

Federal sentencing guidelines already allow for an “enhanced penalty….if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism,” and it’s easy to see its potential for abuse. When leaders of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted for organizing the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, prosecutors alleged the mob violence that day was “no different” than blowing up a building.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly disagreed but still felt “the constitutional moment we were in that day is something that is so sensitive that it deserves a significant sentence.” Kelly applied terrorism enhancements and sentenced them each to over a decade in prison. (All participants received a presidential pardon in 2025.)

Over the past 25 years, we’ve learned the government won’t waste an opportunity to increase its power in the name of fighting “terror,” whether at home or abroad. The Trump administration already claims the authority to label people “domestic terrorists” based on such perceived offenses as “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity.” The FBI cited January 6 as justification to dramatically increase surveillance of American citizens who opposed then-President Joe Biden. We should look skeptically at any further expansion of power that will supposedly fight “terror.”

(reason.com)

But I am sure if needed Donny and his Magic Sharpie will do the honors.

If you criticize Donny and his Band of Tech Bro thieves are you worried about them coming for you?

Me?  I just say…’Bring It On!’

Tell me what you feel.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

I Hate Defeatism!

“…Land of the free and home of the brave…”

When I returned from Vietnam I began my campaign of protesting the war and I was met with an amazing amount of defeatism…..I started my protests for after seeing that war first hand I could stand by and turn my head and ignore the horrors and the sacrifices.

Defeatism can be found in most aspects of life….your life, your job, etc but for this post I want to address political defeatism.

Personally I hate defeatism to me it is just throwing hands up and accepting crap and no inclination to change things.

First we need to define the term so there is NO confusion.

Defeatism….is a term used to describe an individual’s mindset or attitude characterized by a pervasive belief that failure is inevitable, and success is unattainable. This defeatist thinking can manifest in various aspects of life, including work, relationships, and personal goals. It often leads to a lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and a reluctance to take on challenges.

There seems to be a wealth of defeatism these days especially on blogs….it is fear that drives this cancerous feeling.

…

I can’t say for certain, but I got the clear sense that there is a wide-spread fear among Americans these days of openly expressing opposition to the aspiring orange tyrant in the White House. Putting an anti-Trump bumper sticker on a car could lead to vandalizing of the vehicle, saying something critical of Trump could mean losing friend, a job, or ruining a family gathering. I even heard that one of my J-School alums didn’t want to sign the Class of ‘69 protest letter or even to have a copy of it sent to his email address, explaining to a mutual friend that “I still have a journalism job” and thus even being associated with such a document!

A common comment I heard from people when I expressed my outrage at Trump’s executive orders like the blocking of already-awarded federal research grants, the revoking of already-approved Green Cards and student visas for foreign students, the deportation of children who are US citizens, and the president’s ignoring of judicial and even Supreme Court orders, has been a dismissive and resigned “Yeah, that’s the new normal now.”

I cannot recall observing that sort of defeatism and fear during the dark years of American atrocities in Indochina. When we learned of massacres of civilians in Vietnam by US troops, or of the carpet bombing by B-52s of North Vietnam and later of Cambodia, the news fueled mass marches across the country and in the nation’s capital.

…

This is the only way to stop what Shipler and I are noticing: a withdrawal from protest. That cannot be allowed to happen. As Shipler writes, “History is still in the hands of the people, for a time. Whether this enters American history as a passing phase or a fundamental turning point will depend on whether Americans mobilize. To make courage contagious. ‘In a free society,’ said Abraham Joshua Heschel during the civil rights movement, ‘some are guilty, but all are responsible.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/15/fear-of-protesting-trump-policies-spreads-in-us/

Then there is apathy….defeatism and apathy go hand in hand and to the ruination of the nation….

A new kind of plague has spread across the West: the plague of resignation, marked by diminished voter turnout and a general retreat from political engagement. People feel frustrated by a system that seems to yield little change, regardless of their involvement. But treating this “plague” requires an understanding of its cause. While it’s easy to diagnose public sentiment as apathetic and cynical, we must ask what fuels this mindset and what might reverse it.

At the heart of this apathy is a deep-seated reluctance to self-examine or step beyond comfort zones. Many, especially on the political left, hold fixed beliefs about who holds power and who bears responsibility for society’s ills. There’s a pervasive notion that those in power are inherently to blame, that the powerful are perpetually working against the interests of ordinary people. This perspective is often accompanied by the view that any issue of injustice or inequality can be traced back to the “evil” actions of the elite. The public, in turn, finds a certain comfort in this approach. It allows people to feel moral and justified, focusing their frustrations outward rather than examining their own roles and responsibilities.

Apathy and defeatism: the plague of politics

American history will be written by the people.  Will you be part of the ‘brave’ or part of the defeatism that is striking fear in Americans hearts?

Even at my advanced age I refuse to live in fear and reject defeatism in all it’s forms

Who will stand with me?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Someone Please Rescue Our 250th

We are rapidly approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country….and to celebrate Donny is making it all about himself and not this great nation.

There has got to be some way to rescue this event from the claws of Donny and his egotistical mind.  A auto race, state fair, BBQ or a UFC match is not the way to commemorate our beginnings.

I was around for the celebration in 1976 and its was the way to celebrate the beginnings of the US of A….it was and will be heads above the silliness the Donny thinks will celebrate our country.

On the 250th anniversary of the United States, some details of the celebrations might seem familiar from the celebrations in 1976 of America’s 200th. People sip from cans decorated with the Liberty Bell and a big round number. Commemorative vehicles drive or fly around with founding documents. Federal dollars and private donations flow toward politicians’ goals. A president directs federal funding toward his pet projects.

A big difference is just how prominent Trump is making himself this time around. It wasn’t always headed this way: Congress created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016, during the Obama administration. In 2020, Trump created the 1776 Commission—an advisory body committed to propagating whitewashed American history—which Biden disbanded on his first day in office in 2021. Trump reassembled it in 2025, more determined to make the national birthday about him, his followers, and their shared visions of the past. While Richard Nixon sought to leverage bicentennial funds to motivate political support in the 1970s, Trump uses the semiquincentennial moment to promote himself. Trump is even attempting to align a semiquincentennial UFC match with his own 80th birthday.

As historian Marc Stein traces in Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s, a national birthday can launch a much broader, more inclusive, and ambitious national project. Yes, the bicentennial too involved politicians advancing their own aims, and it involved selling things, with a proliferation of commemorative objects. But the events and their backlash also helped promote broader goals. Stein writes of the urban planners who sought to direct bicentennial resources toward remaking cities and revamping tourist destinations. He writes of the contingent of the New Left that hoped to rekindle what they viewed as the radicalism of the founders, and of marginalized communities, who mobilized for a reexamination of American history and for reform in contemporary society. Sometimes these groups disagreed about the past and agreed on the future. Sometimes they disagreed about the future, despite shared ideals of the past.

https://newrepublic.com/article/209315/rescue-america-250th-trump

I will not participate in anything the Donny and his clowns have planned for this point in our history.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”