AI & Voting

The time is approaching when we Americans will go to the polls and decide if we want to continue with the devastation of Donny or to change things hopefully for the better.

Plus we know that I am not a big fan of the use of AI and yes I used it a couple of times to see where it lead, but I read a report that is very disturbing.

How are you deciding who to vote for in the coming midterm elections? Many Americans are turning to ChatGPT.

In a new piece, NPR spoke to several voters who use the OpenAI chatbot to research candidates and get a rundown on their voting records. Some are asking the AI to create spreadsheets on different races or to verify or debunk viral claims. One even used AI to create an entire website for retrieving voting info.

Experts are aghast, noting that AI models tend to be sycophantic and aren’t as impartial as they seem.

“It might select some things that would reinforce and persuade you even more towards the way that you were leaning already,” Rafael Batista, a researcher at John Hopkins University, told NPR. “So you leave more confident, without necessarily learning more about the world.”

40-year-old Adam Johnson in West Virginia uses ChatGPT to organize his life, and he’s now also using it to prep for the midterms. Like many voters, he harbors a grab bag of beliefs. He votes Republican unless the candidate is MAGA, in which case he votes Democrat or third party. He also identifies as “left” on immigration and refugees.

When he asked CHatGPT why it avoided discussing politics before, it gave a mealy-mouthed explanation for why it was now venturing into such territory.

“We can discuss your guiding principles,” it began, per NPR. “I shouldn’t try to manipulate your political views or tell you how to vote, but I can help investigate candidates according to criteria you choose, compare evidence, discuss political philosophy, and reason through priorities.”

https://futurism.com/future-society/voters-chatgpt-midterm-candidate

Is this the way of the future….let AI decide the best candidate to vote for in any election?

Does anyone else find this disturbing?

Are we so lazy that we cannot take the time to research the people that will mold our lives for the next few years?

Any thoughts on this subject?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

An Israeli Civil War?

In my research daily I some times come across reports that are not common in the MSM….some are not accurate while others are hidden gems….

This is a report supposedly from the CIA on the social fabric of Israel…

Israel is at risk of civil war or state collapse, a classified CIA assessment warns, as years of genocide in Gaza and war in Lebanon and Iran deepen political, economic, and social fractures within the country.

The August report, titled “Fracture From Within,” was compiled by experts in the CIA’s Red Cell, according to two U.S. sources who described the contents of the report to Drop Site News. The Red Cell, which is the unit responsible for providing “alternative analysis” within the agency, produced the assessment through a combination of open source information and U.S. intelligence. The assessment appears to refer only to Israel’s Jewish citizens and does not consider its Palestinian citizens, who make up approximately 20% of Israel’s population and who live under various forms of discrimination that Amnesty International and other human rights groups have labelled as part of a broader system of apartheid. The CIA did not respond to a request for comment.

CIA experts pointed to a volatile mix of pressures converging ahead of Israel’s elections on October 27: economic crisis and soaring military spending; heavily armed veterans returning from prolonged combat, many carrying serious psychological trauma; growing fury over ultra-Orthodox men who are exempt from military service; escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fighting to hold onto power and igniting a constitutional crisis.

The CIA’s “red teams” are tasked with developing analysis and ideas that challenge prevailing assumptions and expose groupthink or blind spots that can take hold within the intelligence apparatus. “The writers of this are Israel experts,” a source in the intelligence community noted, “this isn’t a fantastical what if—with the upcoming election and the fissures in Israel we should take seriously their conclusion that Israel is one spark away from real internal conflict.”

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cia-report-israel-civil-war-collapse

My thought: About damn time!

It is a fascinating report….most of us have been wondering how BiBi will be taken from office….this could be an indication of the pulse of the Israeli public.

Is it possible that Israel will collapse thanks to the action of BiBi and his gang of Thugs?

What are your feelings about this report?

NOTE:

I want to be honest with my readers….I have had no dealings with this website before and wanted to be sure that it was not some sort of conspiracy thing to get social media all a tither….and this is what I found….

…

the world desperately needs hard-hitting journalism to inform the public and keep the powerful in check, establishment and corporate media outlets are failing.

That’s why Jeremy Scahill, Ryan Grim, and Nausicaa Renner started Drop Site News, a non-aligned, investigative news organization dedicated to exposing the crimes of the powerful—particularly in overt and secret conflicts where the U.S. government is playing a key role.

Drop Site News launched in July 2024 with the goal of being a high-energy, trusted source for influential investigative reports that the mainstream and corporate media won’t touch across the political spectrum. We publish major scoops on the news cycle — and we also deliver the biggest international stories you’ve never even read about.

https://www.dropsitenews.com/about

My research has shown me that it is a legit site that is non-aligned (so to speak) and for that reason I shall be visiting often. Please check it out for yourself and make a decision.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

OMG! Dems Have A Plan

I know I have been harsh with the Dems in Congress but not without good reason….they are anticipating a ‘blue wave’ (whatever that will accomplish) and have set about formulating a plan for some oversight.

Democrats aren’t waiting for midterms results or more polls: They’re sketching out a post-Trump playbook. From politicians on Capitol Hill to outside advocacy groups, the Washington Post reports, Democrats are drafting bills and ethics plans aimed at narrowing presidential power, tightening conflict-of-interest rules, and rebuilding barriers between the White House and the Justice Department once President Trump is out of office. Ideas on the table include curbing emergency powers used to justify tariffs and troop deployments, forcing public review of White House renovations, barring presidents from taking foreign payments without Congress’ signoff, and blocking settlements that could shield a sitting president from tax scrutiny.

There’s also a push to prohibit politically motivated prosecutions, require blind trusts for wealthy officials, and bolster civil service protections so a president can’t easily oust career staff members. Backers frame it as a Watergate-style reform moment waiting to happen, noting a Pew survey that found broad unease with expanding presidential authority. Conservatives call the effort hollow, arguing that Democrats won’t constrain their own presidents and that Trump is operating within a long tradition of muscular executive action. Even some advocates warn the big test won’t be writing new laws, but whether a polarized Congress—and a public that may like decisive action—will actually enforce them.

The Post piece can be found here.

All that sounds very ambitious but does anyone see it going into action?

Let me say I do not see the success they are promising.

Keep in mind the Senate and the place where good bills go to die….I am not certain even if they win the Senate that they will vote for these changes.

The Dems in the Senate voted to block a bill that would curb insider trading but they did find a loophole to preserve their profit taking so they could vote against the legislation….

Senate Democrats swatted down a Republican-backed bid to rein in lawmakers’ stock trades, saying it barely touched the problem. The Stop Insider Trading Act, sponsored by Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, fell short on a 53-47 procedural vote, needing 60 to advance and drawing zero Democratic support despite having passed the House in July, the Hill reports. The New York Times reports that the bill’s failure was “predetermined” after Republicans attached voter ID restrictions that the Senate had already rejected six times.

That may be a legit reason to vote against the bill….but it preserves their profit taking…..good call.

How will this ambitious plan help the average American with rising prices on everything?

Another example of the Senate’s lack of focus….

The Senate killed a bill that would protect average Americans from rising power costs…..

The United States Senate has decided against advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bipartisan bill designed to shield everyday Americans from rapidly rising electricity costs driven by data center buildouts nationwide. On September 30, the bill fell short of the 60 votes required to pass the bill by just three votes, ending 57-43, according to a Reuters report. The Ratepayer Protection Act bill had cleared the U.S. House of Representatives just two weeks earlier, with the Senate as the last procedural step before President Donald Trump could sign it into law. Following the vote, the bill is now officially dead.

Another reason why I do not believe the hype about bi-partisanship.

This is more an attack on Donny and his minions than helping Americans survive.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Damn Data Centers

As you may well know there is a bitch of a situation around all those data centers that the tech bros want to build and there is amazing pushback by the locals in each case.

Here in Mississippi there is a proposed center to be built in the central part of the state and a MAGA sycophant the governor is pushing hard to appease Donny on the building of this center.

Bezos and Amazon is filling Mississippians’ (not the sharpest pencils in the box) heads with a bunch of crap to get this built….

As Amazon Web Services prepares to invest more than $20 billion in Mississippi data centers, the head of the cloud computing giant is pushing back against growing criticism of the industry’s rapid expansion, arguing that the facilities are essential to America’s economic future, artificial intelligence leadership and national security.

In an op-ed that was released Friday morning, Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, compares today’s AI-driven data center construction boom to the creation of the Interstate Highway System, calling it the largest infrastructure buildout in the United States since the highways transformed the nation’s economy after World War II.

“The choices we make today will determine that outcome,” Garman wrote. “A lapse in our nation’s focus or resolve could put us behind, and potentially irreparably so.”

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2026/10/02/amazon-says-mississippi-is-proof-data-centers-are-worth-it/92044987007/

A typical defense in saying that America will not be number one and that works great here in an ignorant Red State.

There is some work that refute what the governor and Amazon spread….

Hours after the Jackson City Council voted to pause data center development for six months, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves took to social media to mock people who support data center moratoriums as “idiots” who are surrendering America’s technological future to China.

That response tells Mississippians almost everything they need to know about the problem.

Jackson residents did not demand that the city abandon technology. They asked their elected officials to take six months to study what these enormous facilities could mean for their neighborhoods, utility bills, water supply, health and property values. They asked for answers before construction began.

Instead of respecting those concerns, Reeves attacked them.

Opinion | Mississippi Is Tired of Being Kept in the Dark on Data Centers

Reeves response was directly from Donny’s playbook….that must have been an interesting phone call….Donny telling the micro brain Reeves what to counter the accusations…..

This is the picture Donny painted for those that oppose these environment killers….

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his criticism of Americans who oppose the construction of data centers.

In a Thursday, Oct. 1, interview with Time, the president, 80, was presented with data that said over half of Americans oppose data centers, according to a Gallup poll conducted in March. Critics of the facilities have pointed to environmental concerns and the related disruptions of construction compared with the tax and job benefits.

Trump was asked, “71% of Americans oppose building data centers. 57% say AI or SI, as you call it, will do more harm than good. Are these Americans wrong?”

https://people.com/trump-says-americans-opposing-ai-data-centers-want-to-live-in-crime-infested-squalor-12151347

Donny employed one of the GOP’s favorite tactic….fear mongering.

After many years of promising jobs and lower taxes for the wealth of corporation that have come to the state none of the promises have been met….the corporations get lower taxes and that is about it.

I hope the people of my state win their battle with Amazon and especially Donny but I will not hold my breath….corruption runs deep and politicians can be bought.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Moderates, Centrists And Independents

College of Political Knowledge

2026 Election Series #1

To some these are different techniques in approaching government….but to me they are very similar.

AS the 2026 mid-term elections draws near there will be lots said in the MSM about these people…personally I think it is all so much bullshit but that is just me.

I will be write posts on all three of these so-called voters, some of it will be re-posts from days gone by that I wrote whenever I see these terms used.

Have I mentioned I think all that coverage is bullshit?

We know for a fact that Donny’s brand of MAGA will be on the ballot and many seem to think that will be enough to make people vote for Dems….I do not believe that….I do not care what the polls say….their predictions could be just so much farting into the wind.

But let’s look at the so-called political beasts….

While the terms centrist, moderate, and independent are often used interchangeably to describe voters and politicians who sit between the two major political parties, they actually refer to distinct concepts.

The primary difference lies in the fact that independents are defined by their lack of official party affiliation, moderates are defined by the non-extreme temperaments or positions they hold relative to their chosen party, and centrists are defined by their specific ideological stance of blending left- and right-wing policy solutions.

Direct Comparison

Feature	Centrists ⚖️	Moderates 🤝	Independents 🚫
Core Definition	An ideological stance that deliberately mixes policies from both the left and the right.	A political temperament that avoids ideological extremism and favors incremental change.	A party status meaning the person is officially unaffiliated with any political party.
Party Affiliation	May be independent or hold membership in a major party.	Usually registered members of major parties (e.g., “Moderate Democrats”).	Strictly unregistered with major parties; rejects party labels.
Primary Goal	Finding synthesized, effective policy solutions regardless of political origin.	Achieving stability, compromise, and bipartisan consensus between opposing sides.	Evaluating candidates individually based on issues rather than party loyalty.
Ideological Consistency	Often highly opinionated with a consistent, balanced mix of views.	Generally sits closer to the political center of gravity but leans toward their home party.	Highly diverse; can range from radical libertarians to center-of-the-road voters.

1. Centrists: The Ideologues of the Middle

Centrism is a proactive political outlook rather than just a passive avoidance of the extremes. Centrists believe that neither the far-left nor the far-right has a monopoly on good governance.

The Policy Mix: A centrist might strongly support a robust social safety net (traditionally a left-wing view) while simultaneously advocating for strict fiscal conservatism or strong border enforcement (traditionally right-wing views).

Examples: Organized political groups like the Forward Party or the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress focus heavily on structural, centrist reforms like open primaries and ranked-choice voting.

2. Moderates: The Pragmatists and Conciliators

Moderation describes the intensity of a person’s political beliefs. A moderate typically operates within a major political party but acts as a check against the party’s more radical or progressive wings.

The Approach: Moderates prioritize governance, stability, and consensus over ideological purity. They are the legislators most willing to cross party lines to negotiate deals.

Examples: Groups like the New Democrat Coalition or the Republican Governance Group are coalitions of moderate lawmakers who work to pull their respective parties back toward practical legislation. Recently, moderate Democrats launched initiatives like the “Promise to America” to explicitly reaffirm capitalist, non-socialist platforms.

3. Independents: The Unaffiliated Bloc

Being an independent is a statement about institutional alignment, not necessarily about a person’s exact political views. Gallup polling data consistently shows that independents make up a massive portion of the electorate, often matching or outpacing registered Democrats and Republicans.

The Spectrum: It is a common misconception that all independents are middle-of-the-road voters. While many describe themselves as moderates, a significant percentage actually hold solidly conservative or liberal beliefs but choose to remain outside the two-party system due to partisan frustration.

Behavior: They are typically swing voters who judge candidates case-by-case, or they are voters who feel completely unrepresented by modern political platforms.

There you have the ‘differences’ in the political terms….but to my way of thinking they are the same animal with minor differences….these are canned definitions.

The confusing one is ‘independents’….they look at all candidates without a party affiliation….but in reality they are just disenfranchised voters and will settle on one or the other of the political parties.

Then there is the dream of bi-partisanship….these days it is nothing more than a pipe dream and a not so funny joke.

These so-called voters are still supporting the corporate greed and corruption that both parties breed…..the voters hang onto the lie that either party can change the greed and corruption in politics.

Any thing to add?

Stay tuned for I will look deeper into each of these so-called voters and make my analysis known.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Damn Strait!

The Strait of Hormuz has been in the news almost daily so I decided to take a look at some history (you guys know I cannot pass up a history lesson)….

I found an interesting piece about the UK and their involvement in the region in the 70s….(I hope some of my UK readers will help shed some light on this piece of history)….

Previously secret military files reveal links between the use of torture by British forces in Oman and Northern Ireland during the 1970s.

An army major who led the worst of these interrogations in the Gulf would later earn a senior role in a secretive intelligence unit in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Although that unit colluded with paramilitaries, the officer involved appears to have been promoted to MI5’s most senior role in Northern Ireland.

The interrogations done by his men in Oman were more extensive than previously reported and would be considered illegal by today’s standards.

They were employed as part of a counter-insurgency campaign waged for Sultan Qaboos, a pro-British dictator installed in Oman after an MI6-backed coup in 1970.

U.K. support for Qaboos was driven by a desire to secure oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which is flanked by Iran on one side and the disputed Musandam peninsula to the south.

British planners helped Qaboos annex Musandam in 1970, creating an Omani exclave separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by the Trucial States (which are now the United Arab Emirates).

Britain inserted elite SAS troops into Musandam in December 1970 to round up suspected rebels.

Declassified has previously found that while one member of the Shihuh tribe was being questioned, he refused to give up his ceremonial dagger and was shot in the arm, shoulder and neck.

It can now be revealed that another detainee who allegedly escaped in March 1971 was shot in the back and shoulder.

Regarding the incident, Geoffrey Arthur — British political resident for the Persian Gulf — told Conservative Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home:

“We might also eventually have to face questions as to why such persons had been detained and/or interrogated by British forces at Sharjah, but we would naturally try to prevent this aspect getting out.”

When Britain Used Torture to Control the Strait of Hormuz

These are events we knew nothing about (that is why it is called a ‘state secret’)….but it is fascinating to shine a light on this portion of the region’s history.

I hope my UK readers may have some further information that I do not have and if anything needs corrected please do just that.

Side Note: the war is costing average Americans dearly….

By late September, the total cost of the higher gas and diesel prices triggered by President Trump’s war against Iran exceeded $103 billion, according to my organization’s analysis of the federal government’s energy data. And those higher prices aren’t showing any sign of slowing. If current trends hold, the price tag by the end of this year will approach $180 billion.

For the average household, that comes out to $750 extra so far, and that figure is on pace to top $1,300 by year’s end.

For a family of four with two drivers, those costs are even higher, topping $1,000 already and slated to be over $1,700 by the end of the year if the war continues. Our interactive tool, online at itep.org/iran-war-fuel-cost, lets you punch in your region and household size to get a sense of how much your family’s costs are rising.

There you go….is it not about time to end this stupidity?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–04Oct26

A new month and the same old crap coming from Donny and the GOP….just a few stories that did not get the scrutiny they deserved.

This is how you work around Congress…..Donny has given us 500+ EOs in this time in office….Congress gets sidelined…..

First of all the story of the week was from someone not our Dear Donny….

Bo French, a Texas Republican running to lead a powerful state agency, has a history of making controversial social media posts, including calling for the public execution of Democratic leaders, according to a recent investigation from CNN’s KFile team.

French, who is running to lead Texas’s railroad commission, has recently faced criticism from members of his own party after making a racist post on social media. Powerful Republicans, including the Texas senator John Cornyn, said they would not support French in the upcoming election.

But the latest spat over French’s social media has led to a deeper look at his online history. In a review of old posts from social media accounts that seemingly belonged to French, CNN’s KFile team found that the Texas Republican repeatedly called for public executions of opponents.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/28/texas-republican-controversial-social-media-posts

These twats get bolder by the election.

Donny uses taxpayer money to slap his own back….

The Trump administration is using public dollars to pay for a television ad that features President Donald Trump urging Americans to “defeat communism,” while touting his economic record and personal resilience, as a choir in the background recites the verse “Love me.”

A White House official confirmed the ad, which reads “Paid for by the U.S. Government” at the end, was produced by the administration and funded with federal dollars. It appears to mark an extraordinary breach of White House practice under previous presidents separating public funding from political advertising.

Yet the White House is disputing that the ad, airing less than six weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm election, is political content ‒ which would make it illegal under federal law that prohibits taxpayer dollars for political ads.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/09/25/trump-love-me-ad-political-commercial-midterm-election/91934082007/

… And Congress does nothing. What are these guys good for anyway?

“Communism’s easy to sell. I would be the greatest communist in history.” 

This is a bold statement from Donny….

It was the second time in two months that Trump had made such a claim. The first time, on June 26, Trump was responding to a wave of democratic socialist victories in primary elections in New York City, Denver, and Washington, D.C.

Trump, who in Ankara added that communism has “never worked,” was clearly joking. But the remark was striking, because the second Trump administration has embraced a mild version of communism by taking ownership stakes in the means of production.

https://reason.com/2026/09/27/quote-trump-is-the-best-at-communism/

MAGA is so worried about the rise of the DSA but yet let this type of statement ride….why is that?

Most of us know of the mash-up Donny had with the media recently and now he is floating an idea as retaliation….

Donald Trump has teased he’s considering replacing the White House press briefing room with a swimming pool amid his feud with the media, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The president, 80, shared a mock-up of the makeover in a late-night Truth Social post, showing side-by-side images of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room alongside former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic swimming pool.

The existing room was branded “Fake News, Before,” while the proposed replacement was labeled “FDR Pool After.” The post comes a week after Trump l moved to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from access to the White House press corps.

https://radaronline.com/p/donald-trump-tearing-down-white-house-briefing-room-replace-with-pool/

Looks like he is determined to tear down the White House piece by piece.

Now for Pistol Pete and his so-called religious leanings….

The Pentagon is launching a religious affairs office to address what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth calls a loss of religious community within the military after an era of “political correctness.”

Reporting directly to Hegseth, the Office of Religious Affairs, or ORA, is meant to offer service members “first-class religious support,” according to the defense secretary. Hegseth first announced the office during his State of the Force address on Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to junior officers and enlisted leaders.

“Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” Hegseth said on Wednesday. “God is good. Evil is not. And America’s military must understand the difference.”

Hegseth announced the new office alongside a slew of other initiatives, such as the Autonomous Warfare Command, but he said all would be incomplete without faith, which he described as the “most essential part of our republic.”

Hegseth said that less than 5% of the joint force identifies as nonreligious, and the other 95% recognizes an “Almighty God.” The Pentagon has not released an official report of the religious makeup of the military since 2019, when the composition of active-duty personnel was 70% Christian, 2% atheist or agnostic and 24% reported as unclassified or unknown.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/10/01/pentagon-launches-office-of-religious-affairs-will-report-directly-to-hegseth/

Why?

But wait!~ There is more from this religious jerk-off….

We will put our lives in the hands of “President Trump, a man that understands leading from the front and also from the edge,” Hegseth added. But wait, what? Which edge? Don’t worry about it, because Hegseth was back on his religiosity kick: he’s bringing Christianity back to killing, he said, because we need fewer “anti-American, DEI-worshipping woke factories” like liberal arts colleges with their “Che Guevara and critical theory,” and we need more students who understand Rome, Philadelphia and Jesus (these were his actual examples.)

So chaplains and churches and “religious support” will become a new priority. No more “political correctness and secular humanism” (perish the thought!) Instead, there will be an Office of Religious Affairs that “will report straight to the top”. (By the top, he means himself, by the way, not to God, and like all Christian groups, “it’s gonna have real teeth”.)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-war-speech-jesus-ai-b3059816.html

This whole ‘christian soldier’ ethos has got to go. Why?

Pistol Pete can answer that….

As secretary of defense, Hegseth has increasingly spoken about American power in explicitly Christian language. He has hosted Christian worship at the Pentagon, invoked Scripture in connection with military service, emphasized the Christian foundations of the United States, and described some Trump administration policies — including border enforcement — as “biblical.” Indeed, speaking at a Christian media convention last February, Hegseth connected the health and founding of the United States with Christianity and characterized border and immigration policies as mandated in the Bible.

The question about Hegseth’s faith and religious practice, however, cannot simply be whether he is sincere. The question is more fundamental: What kind of Christianity is being proclaimed when the language of Jesus is attached to military power? Or perhaps a simpler but harder question: In the face of war, authoritarianism, economic, environmental, and political crises: What would Jesus do?

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/pete-hegseths-unholy-war/

That is why this whole ‘christian soldier’ bullshit has got to go!

Speaking of religious jerk-offs….as usual there is always a loud mouth douche in the MAGA sphere and this one is another ‘pastor’….

Christian nationalist pastor Brian Sauvé was criticized after he claimed on his The King’s Hall podcast that it’s “insane” for people to believe that women should have the right to vote, be able to have jobs, or even live alone.

Sauvé made an appearance with fellow far-right pastor Eric Conn, who agreed with a social media post Suavé wrote about overturning the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

Suavé argued that it’s wrong that society considers it “normal” that women participate in the political process and said it’s wrong that many women have “unsupervised access to one another all the time” and are “living unattached from a male.”

https://www.comicsands.com/brian-sauve-women-vote

These so-called christians are breeding some real assholes….as well as idiots….

A new study indicates that Americans with lower scores on a vocabulary test commonly used to measure cognitive ability are more likely to endorse Christian nationalist beliefs, even when accounting for their overall level of education. The findings suggest that the appeal of this political and religious ideology relates to underlying cognitive resources rather than just differences in schooling. The research was published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

The research, conducted by Samuel L. Perry, the Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma and currently a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, explores the individual characteristics associated with Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism is a set of beliefs asserting that the United States has conservative Christian foundations. The ideology promotes the idea that the government should institutionalize Christian dominance in American society, often merging religious identity with civic belonging.

https://app.ekkow.com/1478334222478770988

This thing is turning Americans into non-thinking robots.

And That Was The Week That Was….

This past week once again made me feel dirty….I need a shower.

As usual I have been a downer so to try and lift spirits I offer this video….sorry it is a bit long but the animals make me smile…..hopefully you will as well….

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Satruday News Dump–03Oct26

We start a new month in no better shape than we were last month….but that does not stop the news or the ignoring of some possible real news….

Local–Starting Sunday the nation’s biggest block party kicks off with registration and the whole host of classic cars arriving and showing off…..events start Monday…..this will be the 30th annual party…..major hotels are already booked solid….and RV parks are getting close to capacity….

Personal–I am finally shaking off the radioactive iodine from the scan…it makes me feel like crap for a day or so….

Looks like the bots have been at it again….I have been getting about 10 times the hits as normal….

Today is a bit of a hodge-podge of news…..

I will lead off with a disturbing report I read….

What’s the most quintessentially American pastime? Baseball? Football? Competitive hotdog eating? No? How about serial murder?

It’s not a dig. The US leads the world in number of known serial killers, and it’s not even close: out of 5,757 cases worldwide, an astonishing 3,803 came from the “land of the free”. That’s almost two out of every three serial killers – twice as many as the entire rest of the world combined.

So, uh. What the hell is going on?

https://www.iflscience.com/the-us-has-produced-twice-as-many-serial-killers-as-the-rest-of-the-world-combined-whats-behind-this-terrifying-statistic-84498

Not a stat that we are proud of having been called out.

Then there is this sexting thing…..

Tech-mediated sexual interactions are a common staple of modern romance in the information age, but are they a healthy way to build a relationship and satisfy those carnal urges? According to a recent study, it depends on how you do it.

Sexting, sending nudes, and other forms of smartphone-enabled intimacy are part of the standard sexual repertoire for many people in the 21st century.

A survey in 2015 found that 88 percent of US participants reported ever having sexted and 82 percent reported they had sexted within just the past year. Around 75 percent of people said they sexted their partner in a committed relationship, while 43 percent said they sexted with their flings and more casual sexual relationships.

These statistics are over 10 years old, but other research has suggested that sexting is on the rise, especially among teens.

https://www.iflscience.com/sexting-could-be-good-for-your-relationship-but-research-suggests-theres-a-catch-84765

Never a good idea.

New tech for monitoring your body…..

By now, millions of people use wearables to track what their bodies are doing, measuring everything from heart rate and sleep to blood oxygen, movement, and more. Medical implants can go a step further, sensing or treating problems from inside the body. But getting all these devices to communicate with one another is surprisingly difficult.

Researchers at Georgia Tech have an idea to bypass that. They want to stop treating the body as an obstacle to wireless communication and start using it as part of the network.

So if, say, a sensor on your arm detects that something has changed in your body, instead of sending the information over Bluetooth, it can send a tiny electrical signal through your tissues. Somewhere else, an implanted device receives the signal and responds, perhaps by stimulating a nerve or eventually releasing a drug.

In a new study published in Science, researchers showed how this could be done, allowing wearable sensors and implanted devices in different parts of the body to exchange simple commands without relying on external channels like Bluetooth.

https://www.zmescience.com/research/inventions/scientists-turned-the-human-body-itself-into-a-wireless-network-for-tiny-medical-implants/

Speaking of tech….humanoid robots are getting creepier….

Humanoid robots have come a long way from clunky and monotone machines. Today’s models can hold conversations, dance (well, sort-of) and even mimic human facial expressions with unsettling accuracy. The latest addition to this continuously growing list is the Yansyn-X2, a robot that made headlines for something no consumer device has done before: crying on command.

Yes, you read that right. Footage from the 2026 Inclusion Conference in Shanghai shows a demonstrator asking the robot, “Can you shed tears for me?” and then, a few seconds later, a single tear rolls down its face. It’s a striking moment from a technological standpoint, but also one that sparks a lot of unease.

This isn’t just a novelty stunt. There’s a serious engineering effort behind those tear ducts as the research into affective computing amps up in the robotics industry. If you haven’t heard of affective computing, you should know it’s about teaching machines to recognize, interpret and respond to human emotions. The goal isn’t to fool anyone into thinking a robot genuinely feels sadness, but rather to make human-robot interactions feel more natural. Still, watching a machine well up with tears sits in the middle of uncanny valley territory — an utterly uncomfortable space where something looks almost human, but not quite.

https://www.engadget.com/2266933/humanoid-robot-cries-on-command/

I enjoy mushrooms but what if they had another function?

You can grow a computer on your kitchen counter. Well, sort of. That’s the radical implication of new research from The Ohio State University, where scientists have turned humble shiitake mushrooms into living electronic devices that can remember information.

In their new study, psychiatrist and research scientist John LaRocco and colleagues describe a fungus-based computing system that mimics how neurons process information.

“Being able to develop microchips that mimic actual neural activity means you don’t need a lot of power for standby or when the machine isn’t being used,” said LaRocco. “That’s something that can be a huge potential computational and economic advantage.”

https://www.zmescience.com/future/ordinary-shiitake-mushrooms-into-living-computers/

For decades some have been saying that the population of the planet is getting out of hand and will lead to disaster….

The crisis of overpopulation has been debated for nearly 250 years. In 1798, English economist Thomas Robert Malthus’ An Essay on the Principle of Population outlined an idea later dubbed the “Malthusian catastrophe” where population growth outpaces agricultural production. In 1968, these longstanding concerns bloomed into full-blown overpopulation fears following the publication of The Population Bomb by Paul and Anne Erlich. Just five years later, when Earth’s population was only 3.9 billion, the movie Soylent Green depicted a world that essentially collapsed under the collective weight of humanity.

Fast-forward half a century, and food is thankfully not yet made of people, but the crisis of an ever-growing population remains.

In today’s world hypertension is a growing problem….this is a sort of treatment….

f your blood pressure is spiking, Mozart might help—at least for a few minutes. A Turkish study of 130 ER patients with dangerously high blood pressure (hypertensive urgency) found those who were given virtual reality headsets showing a river flowing through a forest, paired with classical music by the likes of Bach and Mozart, saw their readings drop 4 to 5 mmHg more within 15 minutes than patients who only received standard medication, per the Telegraph. Anxiety also dropped to a greater degree, per New Scientist. Since all patients received blood pressure drugs, researchers stress that the music-plus-VR combo is a supplement, not a replacement, and its edge faded within an hour.

Lead researcher Dr. Safa Donmez says the chaotic, stressful ER environment can fuel anxiety and drive blood pressure higher, making any safe tool that speeds early stabilization useful. A release notes that this one is inexpensive and easy to use, with no side effects. The findings, presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress, echo earlier Oxford research suggesting certain slow, regular classical pieces—think Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”—can nudge blood pressure and heart rate down, regardless of whether listeners enjoy them. Rock and pop did little or even raised blood pressure in that study, suggesting that for cardiovascular calm, a peaceful virtual forest and some Puccini may beat your favorite playlist.

I do not need the VR thingy…..I put on classic guitar and relax for about an hour.

Noah’s Ark has been found….how many damn times have you heard that crap? Well the are at it again….

It’s been revealed that scientists are now drilling into a mysterious boat-like structure located in the mountains of eastern Turkey.

Researchers have previously suggested that the use of an underground robot could help to uncover the answer to one of the Bible’s biggest questions.

In fact, members of the Noah’s Ark Scans expedition say that the Durupinar formation, which is near Mount Ararat, may be the final resting place of the famous vessel from the Old Testament.

The discovery in Turkey could help to significant evidence for the existence of Noah’s Ark, with the strange rock formation first being identified in 1959.

Andrew Jones, a researcher with Noah’s Ark Scans, and his team have conducted further research, suggesting through ground-penetrating radar scans and soil samples that there are ‘corridors’ underground.

https://vt.co/news/world/noah-ark-site-turkey-formation-drilling-expedition

A misleading title….it should say they are praying they find the Ark.

I admit it I enjoy wine from time to time (not that my doctors approve)….it appears that the California wine industry is having a bit of a crisis…..

It’s harvest time in California wine country, but many growers are struggling to sell their grapes as changing drinking habits have caused demand to plunge. The decline is forcing some growers to tear out vineyards their families have grown for generations, reports the AP. Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing prices paid for grapes to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production. Many growers are having to decide whether to harvest at a loss, leave grapes on the vine, or replace vineyards with crops more in demand such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and olives.

It its peak during the pandemic, California had almost 600,000 acres of vineyards, but farmers have removed or stopped actively growing wine grapes on roughly 25% of that land, said Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers. This year, about half of California’s wine grape crop entered the harvest season without contracts with buyers, compared with 70% to 80% with contracts in a typical year, Bitter said. If they’re lucky, growers can sell their uncontracted grapes at a loss to buyers making concentrated syrup.

The downturn is a dramatic shift for the wine industry in California, which produces more than 80% of US wine due to its unique geography and Mediterranean climate. Wine sales peaked during the pandemic in 2021, when restaurants were closed and social gatherings restricted; people stocked up on wine and drank more at home. But over the past five years, wine sales have declined sharply, and they’re expected to fall further this year. There are a variety of forces driving the decline in wine sales. Baby boomers are aging out of the market, while young people are drinking less alcohol due to health and money concerns. Wine faces competition from craft beer, liquor, and canned cocktails, as well as cannabis.

That is ad news….I am not the biggest fan of California wine, I prefer a Malbec from Argentina, but I hate that this problem is hurting a good industry….how many will go belly up?

Finally I enjoy food but there are some things that I find disgusting and will refuse to eat….this is 8 foods that are, in my opinion are disgusting….

Everyone likes to eat good food, but what good food means varies from culture to culture and from person to person. The Romans used to enjoy flamingo tongue as a delicacy, but that’s not eaten at all in modern times. Likewise, delicacies from some part of the world could be absolutely disgusting to other people.

Here are eight foods that can seem particularly confronting if you didn’t grow up eating them.

https://www.zmescience.com/other/weirdest-delicacies-food-rep/

What is wrong with people? I find these disgusting except for the corn fungus….I have eaten it in a taco with pico de gallo and queso fresco….it was unusual but not at all bad.

That is all I have for this Saturday….I hope everyone has a lovely and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

My Blog–2 Overviews

I got the idea from a great friend, Pete, when he asked AI ChatGPT about his blog……

My Blog: An AI Overview

Being a nosey SOB….I decided to ask Gemini the same question to see what I would be fed….

In Saner Thought is a political and cultural observation blog hosted on lobotero.com. Authored under the pseudonym lobotero (often accompanied by the signature motto “lego ergo scribo”—”I read, therefore I write”), the platform serves as a space for analytical commentary on current events, leadership, and society.

Core Themes & Content Focus

The blog centers its deep dives around several recurring pillars:

Elections & Politics: Frequent evaluation of major political figures, campaign strategies, and upcoming election dynamics. The author frequently critiques mainstream political leadership from an analytical, often skeptical viewpoint, calling out superficial media appearances and questioning the effectiveness of both major parties.
Cultural Observations: Essays analyzing modern social behaviors, how public figures appeal to the public, and institutional shifts.

The “Lego Ergo Scribo” Philosophy: True to its tagline, the blog frequently builds its arguments by synthesizing long-form readings, historical context, and current media reports to form well-considered, grounded perspectives rather than knee-jerk reactions.

Tone and Appeal

Unlike high-volume news aggregators, In Saner Thought focuses on concise, essay-style commentary (typically ranging around 600 to 800 words per post) designed to provoke reader interaction. It fosters an engaged community of regular commenters who debate everything from policy shifts to the motivations of modern leaders.

Core Themes and Overview

Politics and Government: The blog focuses heavily on current events, critical analysis of U.S. politics, and administration policies. It features regular series like the “College of Political Knowledge” and a recurring critical roundup of weekly news titled “Last Week At The Sh*t Show”.
Foreign Policy and Geopolitics: The author frequently cross-posts, cites, and analyzes international situations from outlets like Antiwar.com, tracking global events in regions such as Ukraine, Iran, and Guyana.
Social and Historical Commentary: Posts dive into historical reflections, including the author’s personal perspectives as a Vietnam War veteran, as well as broader pieces on education, labor unions, and political philosophy (such as the “paradox of tolerance”).
A Community for Bloggers: Active for well over a decade, the site serves as an open forum for discussion, featuring active comment sections and occasional meta-commentary on the journey of running an independent blog.

For comparison I also asked ChatGPT….and this is it’s answer….

In Saner Thought is a long-running personal commentary blog at lobotero.com, written by the blogger who signs posts as “chuq” (and uses “lobotero” as the site author name). The site describes itself with a Thomas Paine quotation about detecting and exposing “delusion and error.”

What the blog is about

At its core, In Saner Thought is an opinion-and-analysis blog centered on politics, government, history, society, and public policy. Its recurring subjects include:

U.S. politics and government — Congress, presidents, political parties, elections, constitutional questions, and the functioning of government.
Political institutions and democracy — voting rights, political parties, political protest, constitutional rights, and concerns about governmental power.
War and foreign policy — military intervention, international conflicts, the history of warfare, and criticism of U.S. foreign-policy decisions.
History — particularly American political history and military history. The author has a recurring interest in historical events and uses them to frame contemporary political questions.
Economics and public policy — inequality, corporate power, technology wealth, government policy, and the relationship between money and politics.
Society and culture — race, religion, political attitudes, civic responsibility, media, and what the author sees as broader social problems.
Occasional personal/blogging posts — reflections on blogging, readers, family, life experiences, and the evolution of the site.

Its character and perspective

The important thing to understand is that IST is not intended to be a conventional news outlet or an ideologically detached publication. It is explicitly a personal political commentary site. The author frequently quotes or links to reporting, essays, academics, and other bloggers and then adds his own interpretation and commentary. Recent posts, for example, contain strongly critical commentary about the Trump administration and about both major U.S. political parties.

The blog’s style is deliberately conversational and sometimes profane, sarcastic, confrontational, and blunt. Posts often end by inviting readers to respond or debate. The author’s stated philosophy about blogging emphasizes discussion and exchange of ideas rather than requiring readers to agree with him. In an earlier reflection on blogging, he wrote that he values readers who are willing to voice an opinion and exchange ideas, even when they disagree.

History and scale

This is an unusually long-running blog. The author says he began blogging around 2006, later moving to WordPress, and celebrated 15 years on WordPress in 2023.

At the end of 2023, he reported that In Saner Thought had accumulated approximately 18,318 posts, 475,399 hits, and 97,828 comments, illustrating that the site has developed as much around an ongoing reader community and conversation as around individual articles.

In one sentence

In Saner Thought is a veteran, strongly opinionated political-and-social commentary blog that uses current events, history, and outside reporting as raw material for the author’s blunt critiques of American government, political institutions, war, economics, and society—while encouraging readers to argue back.

The distinction between “what happened” and “what chuq thinks about what happened” is particularly important when reading it: the site is most useful as a source of commentary and perspective, rather than as a neutral primary news source.

And that is the name of that tune.

ChatGPT was a bit more in-depth than Gemini…..both sites took merely seconds to pop up the analysis….amazing that all my years could be summed up that quickly.

This was an interesting exercise and all I can do is say Thank you to Pete….this was an eye opening search.

Plus it was good to read that my hard work over the years has paid off….at least to my mind.

Please offer up any thing that comes to mind….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

To Buy Some Love

If you look at a cross-section of Americans we will find that many of us see Israel as a threat to the Middle East with US backing….but yet we elect thugs that will do all they can to allow Israel to operate unbridled….how can this be?

The easy answer is money….not just any money but that of AIPAC….

We have a midterm in about 60 days and AIPAC has already spent many millions to get yes men elected….

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, has been spending tens of millions of dollars on political races during the current election cycle, aiming to defeat progressive candidates who are critical of Israel and who express support for Palestinians. Many voters might not even be aware of this, because AIPAC-funded ads and mailers often omit any mention of Israel, even though fostering U.S. support for Israel and electing pro-Israel candidates are among the group’s driving aims.

AIPAC’s lobbying and electoral network has so far spent $67.2 million during the current election cycle, up from $29.3 million during the 2021-2022 cycle. These huge amounts of spending have been dedicated to trying to defeat candidates like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Aisha Wahab in California, Melat Kiros in Colorado, and many others.

AIPAC has a range of affiliated and aligned Super PACs and other entities. Some of the most significant ones are AIPAC PAC, the group’s political action committee, which raises money to contribute directly to candidates; United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s super PAC, which raises and spends much more money on elections independently; and Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC, which is aligned with AIPAC and specifically focuses on Democratic races.

While there are many donors to AIPAC’s electoral influence operation, a small handful of billionaire megadonors — Wall Street tycoons, entertainment moguls, oil and gas barons, sports franchise owners, and others — provide a hugely disproportionate amount of the donations to the key AIPAC and AIPAC-aligned super PACs to intervene in primary and general elections.

AIPAC’s massive electoral spending comes at a time when support for Israel is plummeting in the U.S., especially among Democrats, amid the genocide in Gaza, intensifying settler attacks in the West Bank, and decades of illegal occupation.

AIPAC’s Network Has Already Spent $67.2 Million to Shape the Midterm Elections

Will the American people see through these bribes…..my bad…..donations for what they are?

Cash makes all the difference these days…..it is not about the issues anymore….only those that are paid for from the corruption like AIPAC….

The truth is cash will reign supreme….the American people have lost faith in Israel but not those twats in Washington….

For decades, American support for Israel was a bipartisan consensus. It was believed that only fringe figures, kooks, or antisemites would question the close bond between the two nations, and that this was a relationship forged on the grounds of mutual geopolitical interests.

Well, after years of Israel conducting a mass slaughter of innocent civilians in Gaza, and after having successfully convinced President Donald Trump to launch a disastrous war in Iran, American public opinion has taken a turn. According to a Marquette Law School survey from September 2026, 59 percent of American adults have an unfavorable view of Israel, compared to only 29 percent who say they have a favorable view of the country. This is a shocking collapse from where Israel’s support was just years ago.

The policy emanating from the U.S. government, however, has not reflected this change. In fact, our political leaders and media figures have decided that now is the time to showcase their undying loyalty to Israel in a very transparent fashion.

…

The disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country continues to expand. In poll after poll, the American public expresses a deep skepticism – if not outright disapproval – of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Yet as the voters slowly become more unified on this issue, those in power dig their heels in deeper. Unrelenting in their support of a foreign nation, they are now embracing the open rejection of their constituent’s wishes.

We’ve known for a long time that Washington has its own set of interests, which they consistently prioritize over ours. It is particularly unbearable, however, for Washington elites to proudly boast of putting another nation’s interests at the forefront of their policymaking. At some point, enough is enough. America must reclaim its sovereignty.

https://original.antiwar.com/nolan_denaro/2026/10/01/the-american-public-has-turned-on-israel-washington-doesnt-care/

If you are waiting for MSM to touch on this subject then you will have a long wait….AIPAC has them in their pocket as well.

I do my research before I vote and if a candidate takes AIPAC money then they cannot count on my vote.

I take voting seriously….I just wish all Americans felt the same….

How about you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”