Month: August 2025

Last Week At The Sh*t Show–31Aug25

Not much happening in DC….the NG still patrolling looking for ‘bad guys’ as well as being used as litter collectors….then there is the uprising against Cracker Barrel for their logo change  (who gives a f*ck?) and of course all the coverage of Swift’s engagement (once again….who gives a f*ck?).

My favorite rant is about ‘grass’ and no I am not talking about Marijuana…..it is just grass and Donny knows a lot….

“We’re going to be redoing the parks, redoing the grass. You know, grass is a lifetime, like people have a lifetime, and the lifetime of this grass has long been gone. When you look at the parks where the grass is: all tired, exhausted.

“We’re going to redo the grass with the finest grasses. I know a lot about grass because I own a lot of golf courses—and if you don’t have good grass, you’re not in business very long.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-has-deranged-rant-about-grass-at-kennedy-center/

Let’s look at the BS coming for your rights….

There are many that see a problem with the newest EOs issued by his Lord High Dumb Ass….

An executive order signed Monday by US President Donald Trump may permit “random fascist vigilantes” to help him crack down on protests across the country, according to one prominent civil rights lawyer.

The new order, which comes amid wider concern about Trump’s militarized takeover of Washington, DC, directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure that each state’s National Guard is equipped to “assist Federal, State, and local law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety.”

To that end, it orders the secretary to create a “standing National Guard quick reaction force” that “can be deployed whenever the circumstances necessitate,” not just in the nation’s capital but in “other cities where public safety and order has been lost.”

Monday’s order calls for the creation of “an online portal for Americans with law enforcement or other relevant backgrounds and experience.” Agency heads then “shall each deputize the members of this unit to enforce federal law.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-vigilante-portal

Then another EO signed about ‘Roman Columns’…..

Donald Trump has ordered government buildings to be constructed in the “classical style” of the ancient West, heralding a return to white-marble and colonnades.

In an executive order signed on Thursday night, the president declared that new projects should be built “in a style that uplifts and beautifies public spaces, ennobles our nation and commands respect from the general public.”

“Classical architecture [must] serve as the preferred architectural style for all federal public buildings, especially in the District of Columbia,” reads the order, entitled “Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/08/29/trump-orders-america-to-make-architecture-beautiful-again/

This person wastes a lot of time on superficial bullshit.

Uncle Donny has spent most of the week threatening anyone who does not agree with him 100%….

When the FBI was searching the Bethesda, Maryland home of former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Friday, August 22, Michael Cohen — Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer — didn’t mince words during an appearance on MSNBC.

Bolton, Cohen argued, was being targeted for revenge by President Donald Trump and his allies. Cohen predicted that Bolton will be indicted on some type of federal charges, warning that other Trump foes will likely be facing criminal charges as well. And during a subsequent MSNBC appearance on August 24, Cohen predicted that former FBI Director James Comey will be targeted for retribution by Trump and his loyalist

The MAGA loyalists are not happy with Donny and one of his newest EOs….
President Trump seemingly caught his loyal conservative base off guard and sparked backlash by saying he’d allow 600,000 Chinese students into American universities. That would be a departure for the Trump administration after it added new vetting for student visas, moved to block foreign enrollment at Harvard, and expanded the grounds for terminating international students’ ability to study in the US. Trump’s announcement on Monday adds to the confusion about the administration’s restrictive visa policies and its approach to China as the superpowers tussle over trade and intensifying tech competition, per the AP.

It also marks another divide with figures in Trump’s MAGA base, who tout an “America First” agenda and had contested the US inserting itself in the recent Israel-Iran war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has singled out China, the second highest source of international students in the US, saying in May that the State Department would revoke visas for students tied to the Chinese Communist Party and boost vetting of new applicants. Some of Trump’s most ardent supporters—from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to former adviser Steve Bannon and far-right activist Laura Loomer—have also rejected the idea of welcoming more Chinese students.

Bannon, one of Trump’s former advisers, criticized the announcement on Tuesday, saying “there should be no foreign students here for the moment.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, however, said Monday on Fox News that Trump was taking a “rational economic view” and asserted that 15% of American universities and colleges would go out of business without those foreign students. China’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has called out the US for what it says is “discriminatory, politically driven, and selective law enforcement” against Chinese students arriving in the US. It’s not immediately clear why the figure Trump cited was so high—more than twice the 277,398 Chinese students enrolled in the 2023-2024 school year. The total also has been falling in the past few years

The loyalists are upset about this but not some of the attacks on their rights…..you truly ‘cannot fix stupid’…..
Donny is floating an idea for the off season conventions…..and those slug Dems are seemingly agreeing….
It might be time to buy stock in balloon and bunting makers—both parties are considering holding conventions ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The nation’s main political parties have long reserved conventions for presidential election years. A Democratic National Committee spokesperson says a large-scale gathering is one of the options being considered to “showcase our tremendous candidates running up and down the ballot and harness the amazing grassroots energy,” the Hill reports. In a Truth Social post Thursday, President Trump said he is “thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms,” adding, “It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!!”

Trump said the GOP is “doing really well” and “based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS.” The Washington Post points out that the party that controls the White House tends to do badly in midterms. The GOP has a Senate majority and a razor-thin House majority to defend in next November’s vote. Politico notes that a midterm convention could boost sagging Democratic fundraising and give the country a good look at potential 2028 presidential candidates, though it might be overshadowed by a rival GOP convention.

Sources tell Axios that new DNC Chair Ken Martin “quietly has been pushing the idea” during meetings with Democratic leaders in Minneapolis this week. The Democratic Party—which controlled the House from 1955 to 1995—held a few midterm conventions in the 1970s and ’80s but decided to do away with the “mini-convention” in 1986.

More opportunity for some spectacular BS…..it is all about the propaganda quality than about the election.
And That Was The Week That Was…..
Stay tuned for there is more coming to a blog near you…..
Enjoy you Labor Day Sunday and as always…..Be Be Careful and Be Safe….
I Read, I Write, You KNow
“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–30Aug25

So ends another month.

Local–The weather has been unusually cooler for this time of year….nights have been in the lower 70s and daytime temps have run about 90…..it is a welcome change for most of us.  More good news is that the tropics are very quiet no systems to speak of for now.

High school football began this weekend and that is all we heard about this past week.  Note: In my younger years I liked football but when it became a religion and not a sport I got turned off and never considered it again.

That time again with everything pumpkin spice…..from coffee to ice cream to potato chips….it is a god awful flavor that does not impress.

Personal–Not looking forward to September for all the cancer treatment stuff will begin again….not looking forward to all the time spent at hospital and doctor’s offices.

Since I truly enjoy my honey I think that is a good place to start….

Researchers at the University of Oxford have created a new “superfood” designed to help honeybees survive amid environmental pressures like habitat loss and changing climate. The supplement, developed after 15 years of study, contains the six sterols—special lipids essential to bee development—that bees typically obtain from pollen and nectar. According to study co-author Geraldine Wright, the superfood can provide bees with complete nutrition when natural pollen is scarce, potentially reducing the impact of severe winters and poor flowering seasons.

Trials have shown promising results. Bee colonies fed the supplement produced up to 15 times more young bees that survived to adulthood. This could offer a significant boost for pollinators, which are critical to agriculture, aiding in the pollination of 70% of the world’s top crops. In recent years, honeybee populations have suffered major declines. US beekeepers have reported annual losses of 40% to 50% of their colonies over the past decade, and similar trends are seen in the UK.

Nick Mensikov, a beekeeper in South Wales, tells the BBC he lost 75% of his colonies the previous winter despite plentiful food in the hives, underscoring the nutritional challenges that bees face. Conventional bee supplements lack key nutrients, putting colonies at risk, especially over the winter when bees rely on stored food. The new supplement replicates a balanced diet for bees, with researchers using gene-edited yeast to manufacture the essential sterols, per the research published in the journal Nature. “This breakthrough discovery … has immense potential to improve outcomes for colony survival,” Danielle Downey, head of the honeybee research nonprofit Project Apis m., says in a release. Downey wasn’t involved with the study.

I hoped this helps the bee population.

There is a bunch of research into dementia and its causes…..diet is usually one of the first…..

A new study finds that sticking to a Mediterranean diet can slash the risk of dementia—especially in those with the highest genetic risk. Researchers tracked more than 5,700 participants over 34 years and found that those who closely followed the Mediterranean diet lowered their dementia risk, in line with other study findings, per Euronews. But participants in this category with two copies of the APOE4 gene—a well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s—saw the strongest benefit, lowering their dementia risk by at least 35%, per CNN. The benefits were even greater for those who adhered most strictly to the diet, which prioritizes vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and olive oil, while limiting alcohol, red meat, and processed foods.

Yuxi Liu, a research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study published Monday in Nature, highlights that people with the APOE4 gene seem to have unique metabolic responses to healthy nutrients, potentially explaining the drop in dementia risk, though further research is needed to confirm these results. Outside expert Dr. Richard Isaacson believes this potential finding challenges the idea that genetics alone determine Alzheimer’s risk. He notes diet and other lifestyle changes—like exercise, stress reduction, and improved sleep—may offer powerful ways to cut risk even among those most genetically vulnerable.

As long as we are talking about diet…..

Including more broccoli in your diet could reduce the risk of colon cancer, new research suggests.

Diet is known to be a key modifiable risk factor for colon cancer — particularly a lack of vegetables and dietary fiber, as well as excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption, according to researchers.

Cruciferous vegetables — including broccoli as well as cauliflower, kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts — have previously been identified as risk-reducers, but it was unclear what volume of consumption had this benefit.

These types of vegetables contain special natural compounds called glucosinolates, which break down into powerful substances called isothiocyanates, the researchers revealed.

Isothiocyanates can help to keep cancer at bay by detoxifying the body, killing damaged cells and slowing or stopping the growth of unhealthy cells.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/risk-colon-cancer-slashed-eating-specific-types-vegetables-study-finds

There has been talk about the dreaded screwworm…..and now the first human victim has been found….

The New World screwworm sounds like something out of a nightmare—and it is officially now in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday confirmed the first human case of the flesh-eating parasite in the country, Reuters reports. The case is travel-associated: The Maryland resident had recently returned from traveling to Central America. (Sources initially said the person had been in Guatemala, but the official HHS announcement indicates El Salvador.) The risk to the public is “very low,” an HHS spokesperson says, per Axios.

“This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States,” the statement reads. Decades after it nearly eradicated the parasitic fly, which largely threatens cattle, the US is now fighting to keep it out after it was detected just 700 miles south of Texas and moving north. No cases in animals in the US have been confirmed this year, but the beef industry is on high alert.

The parasitic flies lay eggs in open wounds on any warm-blooded animal, and the hundreds of screwworm larvae that then hatch feed on flesh—and will kill their hosts if not treated. Human infestation is rare, but an outbreak in Texas could cost the state economy $1.8 billion thanks to livestock losses, experts estimate.

Sounds like a good thing to file away so the meat industry can jack up prices similar to the egg fiasco.

Funerals are just damn expensive these days….yes I speak from facts as I had to deal with Sue’s wishes….there is a new way for funeral directors to make a few bucks more….water cremation….

In a quiet Baltimore funeral home, a new era in eco-friendly farewells is unfolding as Maryland embraces “water cremation”—a process that dissolves bodies in chemical baths rather than flames. The Washington Post reports that Maryland has joined a growing list of states offering the process, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, as a legal alternative for handling human remains. The process dissolves bodies in a chemical solution, leaving only bones and a liquid by-product, and is seen as both gentler and more environmentally conscious than traditional flame-based cremation. The method has gained traction since its debut in the funeral industry in 2011, with more than half of US states now permitting it.

The Joseph H. Brown Jr. Funeral Home in West Baltimore is the first in Maryland to provide the service. Bodies are placed in a silver chamber, where water and chemicals break down organic tissues over several hours. Advocates say water cremation appeals to people seeking a softer, more natural way to say goodbye, as well as those concerned about their environmental footprint. Per Maryland Matters, just one fire-based cremation can send more than 500 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air; WCAX notes that’s the equivalent of driving about 600 miles. Water-based cremations, however, don’t have airborne emissions to worry about.

In Maryland, the journey to legalization began when individuals like Adrian Gardner, motivated by personal family experiences, partnered with professionals to lobby for change. A 2024 state law paved the way for both alkaline hydrolysis and human composting, aka natural organic reduction. The Baltimore funeral home worked with local authorities to ensure that the chemical by-products could be safely disposed of through the city’s sewer system after proper treatment. Despite statewide approval, however, regulations are still being finalized, putting the service in a “legal gray area,” per the Post. The cost of setting up a water cremation infrastructure is also keeping some funeral homes in states where it’s legal from embracing the process, per WCAX.

Just wanted to let you know there are options other than a $5000+ funeral prep.

This is the Labor Day weekend…..a long three day holiday for family and friends….so if you have events to visit please Be Well and Be Safe…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Katrina–20 Years On

On this day, 29 August 2005, a massive hurricane kicked the crap out of the Gulf Coast….a normal hurricane lasts about 5 hours, Katrina lasted 13 hours and 48 minutes with destructive winds and a huge storm surge….it left the Coast looking like a war zone.

  1. Hurricane Katrina was the largest and 3rd strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in the US.^[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Hurricanes in History.” National Hurricane Center. Accessed March 2, 2014. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/#katrina.%5D
  2. In New Orleans, the levees were designed for Category 3, but Katrina peaked at a Category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 175 mph.^[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Hurricane Katrina: A climitalogical perspective.” National Hurricane Center. Accessed March 2, 2014. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/tech-report-200501z.pdf.%5D
  3. The final death toll was at 1,836, primarily from Louisiana (1,577) and Mississippi (238). More than half of these victims were senior citizens. Keep seniors safe and sound, and help them plan for hurricane season.^[Jorgenson, Ellen. “Hurricane Katrina: Humanitarian Obligations and Lessons Learned.” University of Denver.Accessed March 2, 2014. https://www.du.edu/korbel/criic/humanitarianbriefs/ellenjorgenson.pdf.%5D
  4. The storm surge from Katrina was 20-ft (six meters) high.^[Ahrens, C Donald. “Hurricanes.” InStudyguide for meteorology today by ahrens, c. donald, isbn 9780840054999. S.l.: Academic Internet Publish, 2012. 447.]
  5. 705 people are reported as still missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina.^[Jorgenson, Ellen. “Hurricane Katrina: Humanitarian Obligations and Lessons Learned.” University of Denver. Accessed March 2, 2014. https://www.du.edu/korbel/criic/humanitarianbriefs/ellenjorgenson.pdf.%5D
  6. Hurricane Katrina affected over 15 million people in different ways varying from having to evacuate their homes, rising gas prices, and the economy suffering.^[FREY, ASHLEY ELIZABETH. “THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HURRICANE FLOODING INUNDATION, PROPERTY DAMAGES, AND POPULATION AFFECTED.” Texas A&M University. Accessed March 2, 2014. https://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-05-616/FREY-THESIS.pdf?sequence=2.%5D
  7. An estimated 80% of New Orleans was under water, up to 20 ft deep in places.^[Cooper, Anderson, Kathleen Koch, David Mattingly, Jeanne Meserve, Miles O’Brien, Jim Spellman, Gary Tuchman, and John Zarrella. “New Orleans shelters to be evacuated.” CNN. Accessed March 2, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/index.html?section=cnn_us.%5D
  8. Hurricane Katrina caused $81 billion in property damages, but it is estimated that the total economic impact in Louisiana and Mississippi may exceed $150 billion, earning the title of costliest hurricane ever in US history.^[Answers Corporation. “New Orleans Economy Still Recovering from Hurricane Katrina.” Business Answers. Accessed March 2, 2014. http://business.answers.com/economics/new-orleans-economy-still-recovering-from-hurricane-katrina.%5D
  9. Hurricane Katrina impacted about 90,000 square miles.^[National Research Council. Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina, Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007.]
  10. The region affected by the storm supported roughly 1 million non-farm jobs, and still, hundreds of thousands of local residents were left unemployed by the hurricane.^[Burton, Mark L.; Hicks, Michael J. “Hurricane Katrina: Preliminary Estimates of Commercial and Public Sector Damages.” Marshall University: Center for Business and Economic Research. September 2005. Retrieved on March, 2, 2014.]
  11. More than 70 countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance after the hurricane. Kuwait made the largest single pledge of $500 million, but Qatar, India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh made very large donations as well.^[“From abroad, offers of aid for Katrina victims.” People’s Weekly World, September 10, 2005.Retrieved March 2, 2014. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103×155747.%5D

But if facts are not your forte then take gander at the destruction….it is a short video but tells the story….

And this fly over after the storm….

Being on the ground the destruction looked so much worse than from a fly over.

It was pure Hell for weeks afterwards…..

A memory that none of us that stayed will ever forget.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Denmark Is Pissed!

Surely everyone has heard the news about Donny’s desire to annex Greenland….and at times he has said by any means necessary….well there is a new wrinkle in this pipe dream….

Denmark has summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen after a Danish broadcaster reported that Americans have been quietly working to stoke pro-US sentiment and push for Greenland’s secession from Denmark. According to Danish public broadcaster DR, “at least three” unnamed US operatives were allegedly trying to infiltrate Greenland’s society, build networks of useful contacts, and rally support for breaking away from Denmark, reports the Guardian. DR was not able to determine who these Americans were allegedly working for, though it alleged the men, whose names it chose to withhold, had been known to have ties to President Trump.

Danish intelligence previously warned that Greenland, which enjoys autonomy but remains part of Denmark, was being subjected to “various kinds of influence campaigns.” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had this to say on Wednesday, per ABC News:

  • “We are aware that foreign actors continue to show an interest in Greenland and its position in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the kingdom in the time ahead. Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the kingdom will of course be unacceptable. In that light, I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the US chargé d’affaires for a meeting at the ministry.”

The BBC notes the US does not have an ambassador in Denmark at this time; charge d’affaires Mark Stroh is currently the top US diplomat in Copenhagen. A meeting is expected to take place later Wednesday, per the Guardian.

And then the next day the White House and its lying brats responded…..

A spokesperson for the US State Department confirms that Charge d’Affaires Mark Stroh, the United States’ top diplomat in Denmark, has met up with that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had a “productive conversation” over Danish intel reports that US operatives were running “influence campaigns” to get Greenland to secede from Denmark, reports the BBC. The US’ main take on the topic, however, per a White House official: “We think the Danes need to calm down.” As for the rumors on those unnamed US operatives, the State Dept. rep noted, per the AP: “The US government does not control or direct the actions of private citizens.” They added that the Trump administration “[respects] the right of the people of Greenland to determine their own future.”

A little advice for Denmark…..do not trust anything Trump or his Merry Band of Sycophants have to say….they are ALL notorious liars.

Ignore at your peril….they are trying to come for you.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

3 From The East

A couple of nations from the diabolical East will meet and compare notes….China, Russia, North Korea…..should we be worried?

Chinese President Xi Jinping is making a bold diplomatic play as he prepares to host both Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender, which ended its occupation of regions of China. It’s the first time the three leaders will gather together. The Sept. 3 gathering in Beijing, to bring together leaders from 26 countries in all, including Indonesia, Iran, Cuba, Pakistan, and Malaysia, serves as a high-profile showcase of China’s expanding influence on the world stage, per the BBC and NPR. While President Trump continues to struggle for a diplomacy breakthrough in Ukraine and seeks another meeting with Kim, Xi is demonstrating his ability to convene key players.

Kim’s presence is especially notable, marking the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. Despite speculation that Kim’s growing alignment with Putin might have frayed ties with Beijing, his first visit to the country in six years signals otherwise. The visit also offers Kim “legitimacy,” per the BBC, as he shares a stage with other world leaders. Xi, meanwhile, stands to gain leverage in upcoming negotiations with Washington. Trump, who’s under pressure to resolve trade tensions and will be in the region at the end of October, has said he’s open to meeting Xi. As the BBC reports, “Xi will want the strongest hand possible as negotiations go on” and, following this visit, “he may even have information his US counterpart does not.”

Is this a strategy session on dealing with the US?

Are we looking at a new bloc to counter US adventurism?

Will this be more troubles in the Pacific?

Will this be money thrown at a ‘rising’ threat?

Should we be worried?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Nothing Matters But The Insensitivity

I read this report earlier today and thought I would share it with my readers…..

This is an illustration of what is most important….not saving a forest during a fire….

Two contract firefighters on the front lines of Washington state’s largest active wildfire found themselves in handcuffs on Wednesday after a surprise visit from federal agents. The exact reasons for the arrests remain murky, with officials tight-lipped and no explanation provided by Border Patrol, ICE, or Homeland Security, per the Seattle Times and Daily Beast. The Incident Management Team leading the response to the Bear Gulch blaze on the Olympic Peninsula acknowledged the presence of border agents but said firefighting efforts weren’t disrupted. The confrontation unfolded as two contractor crews, part of a 400-person response, worked to cut wood for the local community near Lake Cushman, per the Times.

Firefighters on the scene said federal officers arrived around 9:30am, ordered the crews to line up, and began checking IDs. Those present said they were instructed not to record the incident. One firefighter told the Times that he asked if he could say goodbye to the detained men, as they’re all “family” to each other, and was told to “get the [expletive] out of here” and “I’m gonna make you leave.” A firefighter added: “You risked your life out here to save the community. This is how they treat us.” The policy under the Biden administration was that federal agents would only conduct operations at emergency sites under “exigent circumstances,” but the Trump administration appears to have abandoned that. As of Wednesday morning, the Bear Gulch fire had scorched nearly 9,000 acres and was just 13% contained.

Goes to show just how deep the racism has become in these so-called law enforcement agencies under Donny and his magic want.

They were contract firefighters should not the company that employs them be in some sort of trouble…..or is it just a skin color thing?

These lame ass raids are getting pathetic….nay….getting disgusting.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Erosion Of Rights

We have a Constitution and then we had an add-on that we now call the Bill of Rights.

Our Bill of Rights contains many amendments that deal with just about all aspects of life as an American….but those rights are been chipped away slowly but slowly….and in recent years that chipping has become harder and more extensive….

Since 20 January 2025 the government has attacked many of of the Rights put down by the Founding Fathers….those attacked have been numbers 1,5, 6, 8, 12, 14, 15, 22, 23….and the attacks continue.

So do these attacks mean that some think the BoR was a bad idea and needs changing?

Well if they do then they are not alone….from the very beginning some of the Founders were not so keen on the BoR…..let’s look at the start of the debate on this section…..

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the U.S. Constitution?

For many people, the answer probably involves one of the famous individual liberties that are spelled out in the Bill of Rights, such as freedom of speech, due process, or the right to keep and bear arms. When a person argues that something is unconstitutional, what that person often means is that it violates one or more of the provisions contained in the Bill of Rights.

Yet the Constitution did not originally include the Bill of Rights when it was ratified in 1788. Why not?

“It would not only be useless, but dangerous, to enumerate a number of rights which are not intended to be given up,” declared future Supreme Court Justice James Iredell at the North Carolina Ratification Convention in 1788. That is “because it would be implying, in the strongest manner, that every right not included in the exception might be impaired by the government without usurpation.” What is more, Iredell declared, “it would be impossible to enumerate every one. Let anyone make what collection or enumeration of rights he pleases, I will immediately mention twenty or thirty more rights not contained in it.”

That was the position taken by those who came to be known as the Federalists. They thought that adding a bill of rights to the Constitution was a bad idea not because they were against individual rights, but because they despaired of what might happen to any rights that were not specifically written out.

But the Constitution’s Anti-Federalist critics were not persuaded by such concerns. “The want of a Bill of Rights to accompany this proposed system,” declared the Anti-Federalist pamphleteer who went by the pseudonym “John DeWitt,” “is a solid objection to it.” In his view, “to express those rights” which the government may not infringe was a necessary and proper safeguard against “the intrusion into society of that doctrine of tacit implication which has been the favorite theme of every tyrant from the origin of all governments to the present day.”

Thomas Jefferson, who was then stationed overseas as the American ambassador to France, shared this Anti-Federalist critique: There are “good things” about the new Constitution, Jefferson wrote from Paris in 1787, but one thing “I do not like” is “the omission of a bill of rights providing clearly and without the aid of sophisms for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, restriction against monopolies, the eternal and unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws, and trials by jury in all matters of fact triable by the laws of the land and not the law of Nations.” According to Jefferson, “a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.”

https://reason.com/2025/08/14/was-the-bill-of-rights-a-bad-idea-some-founding-fathers-thought-so/

At what point do we allow this assault to continue?

Does anyone really care about the loss of rights?

Please let me know.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Ass Kissing At Its Best

We know that Little Donny hates people that criticize him and adores the ass kissing done at his cabinet meetings just like the Stalinists of old.

He has the ‘North Korean” model of leadership in full bloom…..even to the point of a huge banner hung at the Dept of Labor with is mug on it.

On the same day that Donald Trump said many Americans yearn for a dictatorship, his administration took a page from the book of dictators everywhere and unfurled a giant banner of the president’s face on the facade of the Department of Labor.

The banner, which features Trump’s steely second inaugural portrait, as well as the logo for Trump’s America 250 programming and the motto “American Workers First,” currently drapes over the windows of three stories of the building, according to photos posted online. Beside it are an American flag and a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt with the same text.

The department on which the banner hangs, under Trump, has undergone drastic cuts and pursued an agenda hostile to unions and workers.

Remarkably, this is not the first time a government building has displayed Trump’s visage. A banner with the same Trump presidential portrait, alongside one of Abraham Lincoln, was hung on the Department of Agriculture building in the spring, drawing comparisons to Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Un.

https://newrepublic.com/post/199561/trump-dictator-banner-face-labor-department

Then there was most recent cabinet meeting….you know when the heads of departments meet to talk over the programs and policies needed to move this country forward….well that is what they use to be for but now it is a meeting of sycophants trying to out kiss Clueless Leader’s ass….

President Donald Trump’s personally appointed sycophants were not so subtle in their sucking up to him during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

In an introduction described as being akin to North Korean state TV, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer invited Trump to travel to the Department of Labor and see his “big, beautiful face” on a massive banner she had hung from it.

“If you all haven’t stopped by the Department of Labor, Mr. President, I invite you to see your big, beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labor, because you are really the transformational president of the American worker,” she said.

Chavez-DeRemer, 57, also praised the president for his takeover of the nation’s capital. She claimed that it allows businesses to remain open and protect their workers, despite local leaders expressing fear the crackdown will be bad for business.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, made sure that Chavez-DeRemer did not run away with the Gold in Tuesday’s suck-up Olympics. He took things a step further to claim that Trump, who has deployed the U.S. Military against their fellow citizens, is the most deserving candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in its 124-year history.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-cabinet-meeting-goes-full-north-korea-with-presidential-brown-nosing/

All this in true dictator style and yet few notice….it is disgusting just how docile Americans have become.

How did this all come about….the mentally challenged running the country?

How to explain the rise of so many incompetent and unprincipled people?

Easy. They could never succeed on their own merits. As soon as their incompetence became apparent – which was likely to be as soon as they took the first job that required some degree of intelligence and integrity – they were fired.

So they learned that to be rewarded with promotions, money and power, they cannot rely on the normal processes and systems of recognition for jobs well done. If they’re to make anything of themselves, they must instead become ass-lickers, lap dogs and sycophants.

They must latch on to someone who values loyalty above integrity or competence, someone for whom fawning obsequiousness is the most important criterion for being hired and promoted, ideally someone who cannot tell the difference between a groveling toady and a knowledgeable adviser.

Enter Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/25/trump-staff-incompetent-sycophants

This country would not exist if the Founders had been a bunch of docile cowards.

Just a little something to think about.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Dems Have A Plan (Sort Of)

AS the midterms approach and the country is plunged into chaos the Dems are gearing up for the battle coming with the 2026 midterms.

But will all my criticism of the Dems I like hearing that they may have a plan….truth be told I am not holding my breath as how successful this plan will be….

The first six months of Donald Trump’s second presidency have been a master class in what he truly excels at: wanton misrule. With an absence of adult minders and a determination to run roughshod over all of the democratic guardrails that have historically only been propped up by a fealty to norms and the waning spirit of fair play in Washington, Trump has moved fast and broken the government, put the economy into trauma with his constantly shifting tariff demands, perpetrated the deaths of HIV-infected children abroad, and cut the ribbon on a spanking new concentration camp in Florida.

These first six months have also featured a Democratic Party that has done what it does best: kept its stockpile of powder nice and dry. While some Democratic electeds have broken from the herd (often to the disdain of Democratic leadership) to confront Trump and his Republican minions, the party’s age-old theory of how political change happens—wait for the GOP to screw up—has remained in effect. Though now, with the passage of Trump’s big new “kick people off health care and funnel the money into an American Gestapo Act of 2025,” it looks like Democrats finally have their quarry right where they want them.

Or … almost? As it turns out, Democrats are planning to take on the GOP—in a few weeks, anyway. “House Democrats are plotting to turn the August recess into the opening salvo of the midterms, including through town halls and organizing programs,” reports Politico, as the party is experiencing “renewed bravado after months in the political wilderness.” And to think that all it took for Democrats to exit this self-imposed exile was Trump getting everything he wanted.

But come on, feel the bravado, folks. Maine’s centrist weirdo Representative Jared Golden, who is part of a group of Democrats who’ve lately decided that swearing more often makes them look edgy, shows up in the same Politico piece, bragging, “There’s almost nothing about this bill that I’m going [to] have a hard time explaining to the district. This is a giant tax giveaway to wealthy people. Everyone fucking knows it.” Can confirm! The New Republic has been covering this bill rather relentlessly over the past few months, which raises an uncomfortable question: What was stopping Golden from explaining this to his district at any point during the legislative meanderings of this bill? (Perhaps Golden, the most Trump-curious member of the Democratic caucus, was weighing whether to vote with the Republicans, as he has in the past.)

https://newrepublic.com/post/197816/trump-gop-bill-democrats-attack

Like I have said many times….the Dems have great ideas they just cannot seem to find a way to sell them to the American people.

So will this plan be more successful or just another fart in the political wind?

Any ideas?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Gilded Age–Second Coming

We know how much I like history and what it can teach us about our future…..so without further ado….

Before we jump into today’s economics we need to step back and take a look at the first Gilded Age….

The Gilded Age was an era of rapid economic growth and industrialization that lasted from the late 1870s until the early 1900s. It was characterized by extreme inequality; the wealthy, including the famous robber barons, experienced high levels of prosperity, while the working classes experienced extreme poverty and labor exploitation.

Key Takeaways

  • The Gilded Age was an era of American history that lasted from the late 1870s until the early 1900s. It was characterized by extreme wealth inequality and industrialization.
  • Major changes during the Gilded Age included the movement from agriculture to industry, shifts from rural to urban living, women’s entry into the labor force, and westward migration.
  • Immigration increased during the Gilded Age, while Black populations migrated north and west in pursuit of economic opportunity and land ownership.
  • The life-threatening working conditions and economic devastation of the working classes partly fueled the rapid industrialization and innovation of the Gilded Age.
  • The rise of investigative journalism, progressive ideologies, and organized labor eventually undermined the Gilded Age’s rigid class structures and exploitation.

https://www.investopedia.com/gilded-age-7692919

Does any of that sound familiar….the inequality, the working class suffers, the ‘Robber Barons’…..any of it?

“Trump’s golden age looks an awful lot like a new Gilded Age,” wrote Politico this month, reflecting on the second inauguration of the United States’ president, prominently attended by tech billionaires. The day after that inauguration, historian Beverly Gage “couldn’t stop thinking about the Gilded Age” and its “rapid technological change as well as stark inequality, corporate graft and violent clashes between workers and bosses”.

But what was the Gilded Age – and does the comparison hold up?

The term, which spans the 1870s–1890s, came from an 1873 novel by celebrated satirist Mark Twain, The Gilded Age: A Tale of To-Day, co-written with journalist and neighbour Charles Dudley Warner. It meant a nation that glittered from its growth and the accumulation of economic power by the extremely wealthy. The title referenced Shakespeare’s King John, in which the Earl of Salisbury states, “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily […] is wasteful and ridiculous excess” (Act IV, scene 2).

Trump himself has cited this era as an aspiration. “We were at our richest from 1870 to 1913. That’s when we were a tariff country. And then they went to an income tax concept,” Trump said, days after taking office. “It’s fine. It’s OK. But it would have been very much better.”

Experts on the era, however, say he is idealising “a time rife with government and business corruption, social turmoil and inequality”, and “dramatically overestimating” the role of tariffs.

“The most astonishing thing for historians is that nobody in the Gilded Age economy – except for the very rich – wanted to live in the Gilded Age economy,” said Richard White, emeritus professor of history at Stanford University.

early 1870s was full of gilded lilies – a period of wasteful excess, shady dealing in business, and political corruption.

The year 1872 saw a massive scandal over the railroads’ influence in politics, after “a sham construction company”, Crédit Mobilier, had been chartered to build the Union Pacific Railroad “by financing it with unmarketable bonds”.

Representative Oakes Ames of Massachusetts sold the shares at bargain rates to high-ranking House colleagues to secure political clout for the company. While most sold them quickly, representative James Brooks of New York (also a government director for Union Pacific Railroad) profited from a large block of shares.

Ames and Brooks were censured by the House in 1873 for using their political position for financial gain. The Crédit Mobilier Scandal, as it was called, became nationwide news.

The Gilded Age satirised such blatant pursuit of wealth. Its story centred around the members of the fictional Hawkins family, trying to get rich by selling their essentially worthless land in Tennessee under false pretences that misrepresented its value. The novel employs pathos as well as satire. An adopted daughter, Laura Hawkins, kills her married lover. She is tried and acquitted, but before her death, she feels guilty about her past behaviour.

https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2010/03/Trump-presidency-compared-gilded-age

Our first Gilded Age was so bad it brought on the Progressive era…..we should be so lucky this time around.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”