Month: December 2025

IST Saturday News Dump–06Dec25

The last month of the year and we enter into happen is called the Christmas season….that means we will all be spending more money than we should.

Local–It has been raining most of this week….we were down about 20 inches and this will help but will not end the drought.

“Swamp Sweep” has begun in New Orleans, ICE operation to round up 5000 criminals.  My question is if they know of these people why did they not share with local cops?

There is a large Hispanic community here on the Coast and they are worried about a spillover into our area.

Personal–I started my treatments again so the “Dump” may be a bit thin this time for the infusions take a toll and it is hard to bounce back quickly.

As per usual I will start with medical stuff….

While companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink are hard at work on brain-computer interfaces that require surgery to cut open the skull and insert a complex array of wires into a person’s head, a team of researchers at MIT have been researching a wireless electronic brain implant that they say could provide a non-invasive alternative that makes the technology far easier to access.

They describe the system, called Circulatronics, as more of a treatment platform than a one-off brain chip. Working with researchers from Wellesley College and Harvard University, the MIT team recently released a paper on the new technology, which they describe as an autonomous bioelectronic implant.

As New Atlas points out, the Circulatronics platform starts with an injectable swarm of sub-cellular sized wireless electronic devices, or “SWEDs,” which can travel into inflamed regions of the patient’s brain after being injected into the bloodstream. They do so by fusing with living immune cells, called monocytes, forming a sort of cellular cyborg.

https://futurism.com/health-medicine/mit-injectable-brain-chip

Now there is a treatment for severe depression….

Nitrous oxide (N2O), also known as laughing gas, could be a game-changing treatment option for severe depression, according to a new meta-analysis. The study incorporated seven clinical trials and four protocol papers from teams across the globe, and found good reason to think that inhaling the gas at clinical concentrations could help where other treatments have had no effect.

The research was conducted by a team from the University of Birmingham, the University of Oxford, and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and was led by PhD researcher Kiranpreet Gill.

“Our group aims to develop and evaluate treatments for people with mood disorders such as severe and treatment-resistant depression, where current options often provide limited benefit,” Gill told IFLScience.

A study published earlier this year, on which Gill was once again the first author, found that almost half of a group of patients with major depressive disorder could be classed as “treatment-resistant”, with over a third having already tried four or more different treatments. There’s clearly a big need for some new options.

https://www.iflscience.com/nitrous-oxide-inhaling-laughing-gas-could-be-surprisingly-effective-for-treating-severe-depression-81776

I have had this problem for years…I cannot seem to turnm my mind off to sleep….

Australian scientists have found strong evidence that insomnia may be caused by problems with the brain’s natural 24-hour cycle of activity.

This may explain why some people have trouble “switching off” their thoughts at night and falling asleep.

The new study, led by the University of South Australia, is the first to carefully track how thinking patterns change throughout the day in people with long-term insomnia, compared to those who sleep well. The study was published in the journal Sleep Medicine.

Insomnia affects about 10% of the general population and up to one-third of older adults. People with insomnia often say that they have an overactive or racing mind, especially at night. Scientists have suspected this is due to mental hyperactivity, but until now, they weren’t sure what caused it.

To find out more, researchers studied whether the brains of people with insomnia have abnormal circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the body’s internal clock that tells us when to wake up, be alert, and go to sleep.

https://knowridge.com/2025/11/why-some-people-cant-switch-off-their-mind-at-night/

More news about micro-plastics….

Microplastics could be fueling neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with a new study highlighting five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain.

More than 57 million people live with dementia, and cases of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are projected to rise sharply. The possibility that microplastics could aggravate or accelerate these brain diseases is a major public health concern.

Pharmaceutical scientist Associate Professor Kamal Dua, from the University of Technology Sydney, said it is estimated that adults are consuming 250 grams of microplastics every year—enough to cover a dinner plate.

“We ingest microplastics from a wide range of sources, including contaminated seafood, salt, processed foods, tea bags, plastic chopping boards, drinks in plastic bottles and food grown in contaminated soil, as well as plastic fibers from carpets, dust and synthetic clothing.”

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ways-microplastics-brain.html

We all hate growing old and wish we could somehow rewind the clock….

Think of cells as the biological answer to battery-powered electronics. Mitochondria are the batteries that supply them with enough energy to keep going. Unfortunately, just like the two standard AAs in your remote control, they eventually run out of power and die—but (much like actual batteries) they can also be recharged and replaced.

Breakdown of mitochondria causes cells to glitch. Wear and tear can happen with age, usually from years of exposure to free radicals that cause oxidative stress and inflammation, but can also be caused by injury from degenerative diseases or mitochondrial toxicity from certain drugs and other harmful substances. When there is damage to the cell, mitochondria begin to lose their capacity to generate energy. Losing mitochondria is detrimental to cell function. This is why biomedical engineer Akhilesh Gaharwar and his research team at Texas A&M University have come up with a way to regenerate them.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a69587645/recharging-cells/

After a null Orcas have returned to attacking boats….but why?

The world’s oceans are home to wonders and mysteries that have fascinated both scientists and nature enthusiasts for centuries. Among these mysteries is the recent surge in orca (killer whale) attacks on boats. This behavior has puzzled researchers, boaters, and marine advocates alike. What drives these magnificent creatures to exhibit such aggressive tendencies? Let’s delve deeper into this perplexing phenomenon.

…

Environmental changes, including increasing sea traffic and pollution, might be contributing to heightened stress levels among orcas. Stress can manifest in various ways, including altered feeding habits, changes in pod dynamics, and potentially, increased aggression towards perceived threats such as boats.

Why Killer Whales Are Suddenly Attacking Boats

That is all I am up to for today….I hope everyone has a good day and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

He Has All Sober To Sunday Up

I thought I would leave my readers with a little humor as this week draws to a conclusion….a raccoon has a binder….

The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit then proceeded to go on something of a nocturnal rampage: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed, and alcohol pooled on the floor. The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon, the AP reports. On Saturday morning, an employee at the liquor store in Ashland, Virginia, found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.” Martin said she took the raccoon to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way. “Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Martin for handling the break-in, and confirmed the raccoon had sobered up. “After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.

At least he made it to the toilet.

I think we ought to name him after another now infamous binder drinker, Hegseth.

Whatcha think?

I hope everyone has a great weekend and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Here Is The Donny Retirement Plan

+++Getting juiced today so another short day of posting….I’ll catch up when I can+++

I am an old fart and retired so any ‘new’ ideas that the government comes up with is of interest to me.

We know that the GOP and especially Donny hates the only retirement plan most have in this country…Social Security….and we know if he can he will butcher the existing plan into oblivion…..but what of anything could he be considering as an alternative?

There is one plan afoot….

Looking overseas for fresh ideas, President Trump says his team is studying Australia’s retirement savings program as a possible model for revamping how Americans prepare for their later years. Trump said Australia’s “superannuation” system—requiring employers to contribute 12% of an employee’s income to a retirement fund—was “a good plan” that had “worked out very well.” “We’re looking at it very seriously,” the president said, per CNN. Employer contributions are mandatory under the program and held until retirement, with only limited options for early access. Employees can also add their own money to funds, which are managed by professional investors.

The system, established with 3% contributions in 1992, has grown into the world’s fourth-largest retirement savings pool (about $3 trillion), though Australia is 55th in the world in terms of population (27 million). The “super” system is credited with preparing Australia for an aging population while easing the financial pressure on future generations. It ranks B+ on the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, compared to a C+ for the US system.

Adopting a similar structure in the US would mean a major shift from the current model, where 401(k) plans are optional and Social Security serves as the main source of retirement income. It would also mean notable political and logistical hurdles, given that the US population is 12 times that of Australia. But with Social Security facing long-term funding issues, the idea has gained enough traction to spark conversation among policymakers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously raved about the program at a superannuation summit in Washington, DC, in February, per CNN.

The Australian Financial Review notes Australian superannuation funds have “invested heavily” in the US over the past 10 years. The White House projects they’ll invest $1 trillion in the US over the next decade.

I have no problem with SS….do you?

They are using SS as a weapon against itself…..this shortfall is easily fixed….everybody with an income pays into the fund and that includes these fat cats that Donny snuggles with daily.

Anything you would like to say?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Vanity Thy Name Is Donny

+++Let me start with this will ,most likely be my only post today for the cancer routine begins again this morning at 0830 I will try to get caught up as soon as possible+++

Our boy Donny loves to see his name on everything…..he has attempted to rename a building in DC….

The Trump administration has renamed the US Institute of Peace after President Trump and has planted the president’s name on the organization’s headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute’s control, the AP reports. It’s the latest twist in a seesaw court battle over who controls the US Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives. It was an early target of the Department of Government Efficiency this year. On Wednesday, the State Department said it renamed the organization to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace to “reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.” The new name could be seen on its building, which is near the State Department.

Trump has spent months openly lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize even though he was passed over for this year’s installment—arguing he had a hand in easing a series of conflicts around the world. But Trump has also ordered strikes on suspected drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela and repeatedly threatened that attacks on land could be coming, which would be an act of war against that country. The takeover of the Peace Institute was also anything but peaceful, with his administration seizing the independent entity and ousting its board before actually affixing his name to the building.

Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said: “The United States Institute of Peace was once a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace. Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.” She added, “Congratulations, world!”

George Foote, a lawyer for the former Institute leadership and staff, said the renaming “adds insult to injury.” “A federal judge has already ruled that the government’s armed takeover was illegal. That judgment is stayed while the government appeals, which is the only reason the government continues to control the building,” Foote said.

He is trying to rename everything in DC before his grip is lessened.

What a POS!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

High Beef Prices, We Have An Answer

Anyone that actually eats knows just how expensive beef prices have become….and now a Donny moron has the answer that we all have been waiting on….

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent didn’t argue that beef prices are rising — but he pointed to an unlikely culprit.

According to the Trump administration, the increase isn’t due to tariffs or inflation. Instead, Bessent blamed migrants for driving up costs.

“We are headed for what I’m calling … the $10-a-pound reality. By [the] third quarter of ’26, families are gonna see $10 a pound [for] ground beef in the grocery store. So we’re in for a bit of a haul here,” Rempe recently warned on Mornings with Maria.

According to Bessent, “The beef market is a very specialized market. It goes in long cycles. And this is the perfect storm, again, something we inherited.”

In an unexpected twist, Bessent went on to say that migrants contributed to the increase in beef prices by bringing diseased cattle from South America into North America.

“Because of the mass immigration, a disease that had been rid of in North America made its way up through South America. These migrants brought some of their cattle with them,” the treasury secretary alleged.

https://knewz.com/treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-blames-rising-beef-prices-migrants-screwworms/

Let me see if I have this right…..illegal immigrants bring their pet cows with them when they cross the border illegally, right?

How did those cows make it over the wall?

At what point do you people that voted for these clowns see your mistake?

Everyday there is something new from these morons…..when will enough be enough?

Does their hatred of people of color know no bounds?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Another Cabinet Meeting, Another Snooze Fest

Donny has once again called all the sycophants together for his weekly injection of an ego boost…..and a weekly injection of bullshit…..but the best part was his thoughts about his Veep….

Sorry, JD Vance—while ridiculing a former vice presidential candidate Tuesday, President Donald Trump seemed to accidentally admit to having an “incompetent” number two.

After barely being able to keep his eyes open during an hours-long Cabinet meeting, Trump appeared to perk up long enough to deliver an incoherent rant about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

“I think the man’s a grossly incompetent man,” Trump said, referring to Walz. “I thought that from the day I watched JD destroy him in a debate. I was saying, ‘Who was more incompetent? That man or my man?’ I had a man, and he had a man—they were both incompetent.”

Based solely on the structure of Trump’s statement, the president appeared to assert that “that man” and “his man” were “both incompetent.” But surely Trump would go on to clarify what he meant, right? Wrong.

“I had a man and a woman, I thought she was very incompetent too. But now she’s leading the field and I think she’s leading the field in the nomination,” Trump continued.

Setting Trump’s apparent slight aside, his garbled response is not exactly a promising sign for the commander in chief, who appeared to be struggling to stay awake during the meeting. Trump’s comments were incoherent. Who was “he,” and who was “she”? Was the president even actually conscious while he was speaking?

Earlier in the meeting, Trump joked that “generally speaking,” his Cabinet had many “high IQ” members. “A couple of them I’m a little concerned about,” he said, looking around the table.

(newrepublic.com)

The rest of the meeting, 2 hours in all, was a string of Donny napping during the accolades…

With Tuesday’s White House Cabinet meeting chugging past the two-hour mark, President Donald Trump ‘s eyes fluttered and closed. His budget director busied himself doodling a fluffy cloud. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was lucky enough to speak early, but the title on his nameplate was misspelled.

The sleepy, and occasionally slipshod, gathering nonetheless ended with a flurry of news. Trump declared that he didn’t want Somalis in the U.S. and Hegseth cited the “ fog of war ” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.

The president started things off by noting that it was the last time his Cabinet would gather until 2026. And, though marathon sessions with his top advisers lavishing praise have become a Trump trademark since he returned to the White House, this latest installment felt at times like a holiday break was needed.

Trump offered lengthy opening comments largely rehashing his key previous policy announcements from recent months. He also repeated old grievances, going back to his falsehoods about having won the 2020 election.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-doodle-misspelling-eyes-closed-84df52bbc901a001e98e325155224954

And on it went….manure piled on manure….

Gee I am so glad that incompetency rules this country (sarcasm)…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is The “Groove” Gone?

For years Uncle Don has had his groove on and convinced the mentally challenged that he was somehow invincible but in the last month or so that air is slowly eroding.

Much has been written about his mental lapses (the best word to keep with civility)….but all that is hearsay and as such needs to be studied….but since the last election when his candidates took it in the butt Donny has been reverting to old tactics.

President Donald Trump’s iron-fisted grip on his party appears to be slipping in ways unseen since the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Back then, he quickly reasserted himself as the singular, dominant force within the Republican Party, and he may do so again.

But the extraordinary rebukes and headwinds the president is now facing — much of it from within his own party — are revealing a GOP beginning to reckon with a post-Trump future. That dynamic crystallized after voters surged to the polls to support Democratic candidates for statewide races in New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia and Pennsylvania, shattering expectations of close contests and signaling that even Trump can’t defy political gravity forever.

Trump has spent the days since recycling old grievances, berating members of his own party and choosing sides in a burgeoning intra-MAGA debate about antisemitism and bigotry within the GOP coalition.

Asked about the momentum shift, a White House spokesperson said Trump had “delivered on many of the promises he was elected to enact” — from border security to ending taxes on tips to “affordability issues.”

“As the architect of the MAGA movement, President Trump will always put America First. Every single day he’s working hard to continue fulfilling the many promises he made and he will continue delivering,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.

In addition to the election romp, here’s a look at some recent brush-offs, brushbacks and breakups that have threatened Trump’s aura of invincibility.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/donald-trump-epstein-vote-00654761

Is this a good sign?

Is this a sign that sanity is slowly returning to the political discourse?

Does this bode badly for the upcoming mid-terms?

Your thoughts will be appreciated.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It’s Called CYA.

This whole thing is making the rounds in the media about the ‘second attack’ on a suspected narc boat is getting interesting….it is about the moral consequences (I know that is not a thing for these fools have no morals).

This is how it has played out so far….

Pete Hegseth and the White House deny allegations that anything improper unfolded when special ops troops unleashed two separate missile strikes on a suspected drug boat—the second of which killed two survivors clinging to the wrecked vessel. But the issue only seems to be gaining steam. Background and opinions:

  • Background: On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Hegseth gave a verbal order to “kill everybody” on the boat in the Caribbean. Two men survived the first strike and were clinging to the damaged boat, and the mission commander then ordered the second strike to fulfill the “kill everybody” order, according to the newspaper.
  • Justification: “Because this administration has designated these narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations, the president has a right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America, and if they are bringing illegal narcotics that are killing our citizens at a record rate—which is what they are doing,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Monday, per Mediaite.

Not so fast, say critics:

  • In a post at Executive Functions, Jack Goldsmith spells out stipulations in the Department of Defense Law of War Manual and other regulations that expressly prohibit killing, or ordering the killing, of captured or wounded enemy combatants. “In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water,’ as the Post put it,” writes Goldsmith.
  • Jennifer Rubin has a similar take at the Contrarian on Substack. “Putting aside for the moment the legitimacy of the underlying order to shoot these boats out of the water … it is impossible to imagine any Pentagon lawyer blessing this action,” she writes. “The concept of hors de combat—literally, out of combat—is a fundamental aspect of the law of war that prevents harming those disabled from combat.”
  • A detailed analysis at Just Security, also citing specific military rules, concludes that Hegseth’s “kill everybody” order and Adm. Frank Bradley’s subsequent order of the second strike were both “clearly unlawful,” and it puts the word “clearly” in boldface. “The Sept. 2 strikes on the purported drug boat neither violated the law of armed conflict nor amounted to war crimes, because they did not occur during an armed conflict,” reads the post. “However, if the facts are as reported, there is little question that the order by Secretary Hegseth and the ensuing order by Admiral Bradley to conduct the second strike were unlawful, because the killing of the two survivors was a serious violation of international human rights law.”

They want us to believe that a seasoned commanding officer called for a second strike to avoid retaliation from the survivors…..thinking…..just how were two people clinging to wrecking going to retaliate?

At a press conference…..

The White House on Monday defended as lawful two separate missile strikes on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, the second coming as two survivors clung to the vessel after the first strike. But White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also clarified that the second strike order came from the special ops commander of the mission—Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley—and not from Hegseth directly, reports Mediaite.

  • President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made it clear that presidentially designated narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war,” Leavitt told reporters, per the Hill. “With respect to the strikes in question on September 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes.”
  • On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Hegseth gave a verbal “kill everybody” order before the first strike. Bradley then ordered the second strike to fulfill that order, according to the story. The incident has raised questions about the legality of both, but Leavitt rejected those concerns, per Time. “Because this administration has designated these narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations, the president has a right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America,” she said.

The morons are scrambling to protect dipshit Hogsbreath from any blowback..,…the admiral will take the hit for any consequences.

Then Hogsbreath showed just how much a piece of shit he really is….

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, apparently making light of war crimes allegations, shared a meme Sunday showing the children’s book character Franklin the Turtle firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a boat. The meme depicted a fake book cover with the title “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,” the Hill reports. Hegseth tagged US Southern Command in his post on X, saying, “For your Christmas wish list.” The post followed reports that special ops troops acting on Hegseth’s orders fired two missiles on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, the second of which killed two survivors. (The White House defended the strikes and said the second order came from the mission commander, not Hegseth.)

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Senate candidate, responded bluntly to Hegseth’s post, calling him “a disgrace,” Fox News reports. Former GOP Rep. Justin Amash also criticized the meme, writing, “There’s nothing Christian about war crimes.” Commenters online suggested a sequel: “Franklin Goes to the Hague.”

Every day we are treated to the reality that these fools have NO moral compass.

It is about time to throw then ALL in prison or at least tar and feather them.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The End Is Simple

Keeping with the drug meme for today…..

Since 1971 the USA has been fighting a war of drugs and has spent an estimated $1 trillion on that fight and yet there has been no evidence that all the cash spent is winning the war or even making a dent.

Since about 1990 I have been writing that if we are serious about this then put an end to the profit margins for drug dealers and legalize.

I know this will offend the sensibilities of some but they will get over it.

I have not been alone in this call over the years and it has arisen again thanx to the attack on all those small narco boats…..

This is another opinion on the legalization thing…..

I was never that into cocaine — preferring the euphoria promised by MDMA or the relaxation offered by cannabis — but back in 2015, a cocaine-serving lounge bar, Route 36, in La Paz, Bolivia, was the talk of the backpacking circuit, and the scarcely-believable novelty of the place was alluring.

At Route 36, bags of cocaine are served on silver platters, and a friend and I got incredibly high that night. Too high, perhaps, though it was all undeniably good fun. But as soon as my first-person dispatch for Vice from the lively dusk-till-dawn session went viral, I feared that I perhaps shouldn’t have glorified the use of a moreish drug that typically leaves a trail of violent destruction in its wake.

As the years passed, however — with cocaine becoming both unprecedentedly popular and increasingly affordable despite the billions spent on the war on drugs to avoid these exact outcomes — I’ve come to realize that accepting that adults take cocaine, and legally regulating the drug, is the only sensible path forward. Establishments like Route 36, the world’s first cocaine bar, might just represent a more enlightened, peaceful future for us all.

After all, U.S.-led authorities around the world have tried everything else, and to great human cost. Coca fields across the Andes, where cocaine’s main ingredient grows, have been sprayed with harmful herbicides like glyphosate, harming the local Indigenous people for whom coca holds unique spiritual and nutritional value, and killing anything that tries to grow in the contaminated soil. Consumers and traffickers of cocaine have been imprisoned en masse, helping to create a prison–industrial complex which serves as a university of crime for its incarcerated and a fertile recruitment ground for armed drug gangs.

Legalizing Cocaine Is the Only Way to End the Drug War

This is the only way we can ‘win’ the war on drugs…..for we have had 50+ years of failed policies and wasted money.

Do the country a favor and end this war and get back to make the well-being of people of this country a priority.

Enjoy your Cyber Monday and be vigil.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

This Is Getting Serious

We all know that Donny has a hard on for Venezuela to the point that he is threatening the country with land operations (an invasion)….he has ordered the so-called narco boats to be attacked, he has sent an armada of naval ships to the region and now he has issued a warning about the airspace….

President Trump on Saturday declared that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela is to be closed, a sign that he might soon launch an attack on the country with the aim of ousting President Nicolas Maduro.

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

It’s unclear if the declaration means that the US will impose a no-fly zone on Venezuela, which would be an act of war. Such a step or any military strikes on Venezuela would be illegal without congressional authorization, per the US Constitution.

The order came after the president said that he may “very soon” expand the bombing campaign against alleged drug-running boats in the region to strikes on Venezuelan territory.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry later responded by calling Trump’s declaration “a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most basic principles of International Law.” Venezuelan officials also said the announcement halted all deportation flights from the US to Venezuela, saying Trump “unilaterally suspended the Venezuelan migrant flights that were regularly and weekly being carried out.”

The Times report said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been leading the campaign against Venezuela, joined Maduro and Trump in the phone call. They spoke a few days before Rubio’s State Department declared the Cartel of the Suns, or Cartel de los Soles, a group that doesn’t actually exist, a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.”

The US claims that Maduro is the leader of the Cartel of the Suns, a term first used in the early 1990s to describe Venezuelan generals with sun insignias on their uniforms who were involved in cocaine trafficking and were actually working with the CIA at the time.

Today, the Cartel of the Suns is used to describe a network of Venezuelan officials allegedly involved in the drug trade, but it doesn’t exist as a structured organization. The Trump administration appears set to use the designation as a pretext to launch an illegal war, one that Americans overwhelmingly don’t want.

(antiwar.com)

All this anti-drug rhetoric and yet he pardons a drug dealer….

The news that Trump is going to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras who was sentenced to 45 years in U.S. prison just last year came as a shocker. The White House has said repeatedly that drug traffickers are narcoterrorists who are waging war on America, justifying their killing the boats every time. Yet Hernandez was convicted of conspiring to import 500,000 kilos of cocaine into the United States and stuff it “right up the noses of the gringos” and Trump says “CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON.”

While president, Hernández received millions of dollars from trafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico, and from notorious drug lords like Joaquín Guzmán Loera, a.k.a. El Chapo, who was the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and is responsible for the murder of some 34,000 people. In return, according to prosecutors, President Hernández allowed vast amounts of cocaine to pass through Honduras on its way to the United States.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-pardon-drug-trafficker/

Someone explain that move.

This mental breakdown is getting ridiculous….and it just keeps growing more so daily.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”