Category: Observations

Why Is This Strait So Damn Important?

I write this for those that are casual observers of thew international world….there are many that feel this is just too much and why is our little Donny being such a twat about it.

The Strait of Hormuz By The numbers…..

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has jolted the world economy, causing a spike in fuel prices that has rippled through other sectors with effects far beyond the Middle East. Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the US and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. Weeks of heavy bombing and a US naval blockade imposed last month have yet to loosen its grip, reports the AP. Iran says it will only reopen the strait if the war ends and the blockade is lifted. President Trump is seeking wider concessions, including the rollback of Iran’s disputed nuclear program. A look at the strait by the numbers:

  • 21 miles: This is the width of the Strait of Hormuz, which bends like an elbow, at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Ships follow narrow lanes to safely navigate the shallow water, making it even more of a chokepoint.
  • 20%: Before the war, a fifth of the world’s traded oil typically flowed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertilizer, and other petroleum products.
  • 100-130: The number of ships that passed through the Strait each day before the war began, including oil tankers and cargo ships, according to research firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
  • 534: The number of ships that are believed to have passed through the strait since the start of hostilities through Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Many are believed to have carried Iranian oil. In normal times, an estimated 6,500 to 8,450 ships would have transited the Strait during the same period.
  • 50%: The amount that the average price of gas in the US has risen since the war began. The average price of a gallon was $4.56 on Thursday, according to AAA. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also nearly doubled the cost of jet fuel.
  • Up to 10%: Insurance rates for ships have skyrocketed from 1% of the ship’s goods up to as much as 10%, according to shipping experts.
  • 45 million: The number of people who could experience hunger, mostly in Asia and Africa, if Strait does not open soon, according to the UN World Food Program. The blocking of fuel and fertilizer shipments could soon push the price of food and other necessities out of reach for those already in a precarious situation, it said.
  • 10: The number of mariners who have been killed since the Iran war began, according to the UN’s International Maritime Organization.
  • 32: The number of ships that have come under attack, according to the International Maritime Organization.
  • 1,550: The number of vessels, from 87 countries, currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the US military.
  • 22,500: The number of mariners stranded on these ships, including many from South and Southeast Asia.
  • 15,000: The number of US soldiers, accompanied by 100 aircraft, committed to enforce Project Freedom, according to the US military. Trump’s initiative to guide ships through the strait was paused on Tuesday, just two days after he announced it.
  • 2: The number of ships that the US said it successfully guided through the strait as part of Project Freedom.

As you can see the Strait is a super important cog in world trade….

Does that answer ant questions you may have had?

Then the US should do all they can to punish Iran, right?

It may not be as simple as that infantile approach…..why?

US spy agencies see Iran holding out significantly longer under President Trump’s naval chokehold than the White House is signaling, reports the Washington Post. A CIA analysis concludes Iran could withstand the blockade for about three to four months—and potentially more—before hitting a far steeper economic cliff, according to four Post sources familiar with the document. It also finds that Iran’s missile forces remain largely intact: Roughly three-quarters of its mobile launchers and about 70% of its prewar missile stockpiles are believed to have survived US and Israeli strikes.

Trump has described Iran’s missile stockpile as “mostly decimated,” and the White House has said Iran is being “strangled economically” by the US blockade. The CIA analysis, however, suggests greater Tehran resiliency for a number of reasons, including the use of overland routes for oil. It also suggests Iran retains thousands of attack drones that could continue to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. If all goes well, the assessment could be moot soon: Iran is expected to respond to a new US peace plan that could result in the end of the war.

So without a valid ceasefire things will get worse for the consumer….I said valid….not some vague promise that does nothing but keep the billionaires rolling in dough.

This quote explains everything you need to know about Donny and his promises….

“We are 9 weeks into a 4 week war that we won 8 weeks ago”

Enough said!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Political Hacks Are Butt Hurt

I make no bones about it that I think that SCOTUS is nothing more than a group of political hacks that are doing partisan work and in the process destroying what is left of this nation.

Then and when you need confirmation of their partisan crap Chief Justice had to go and whine about our perception of the court.

Chief Justice John Roberts wants Americans to know he doesn’t see the Supreme Court the way some critics might. Speaking Wednesday at a legal conference in Hershey, Pa., Roberts said many people wrongly believe the justices are “political actors” choosing outcomes based on policy preferences rather than legal analysis, NBC News reports. “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do,” he said. He was responding to a question about what the public most misunderstands regarding the high court, Politico reports.

Roberts, part of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority that has shifted federal law rightward on issues including abortion, guns, and voting rights, didn’t address any specific cases. But he stressed that the court is often obligated to hand down decisions that are disliked, saying rulings are “based on our best effort to figure out what the Constitution means and how it applies.” He acknowledged that the public is free to criticize the court’s work, while urging that critiques target decisions, not individual judges, warning personal attacks are “not appropriate” and can lead to “very serious problems,” especially amid heightened security concerns. He also did not mention President Trump, who himself has been among critics of the court at times, CNN reports.

Seriously?

This POS is saying this crap without laughing?

Our criticism can lead to ‘very serious problems’?  Really thanx to the Roberts court we already ass deep in serious problems and they can thank themselves for all the problems…..Citizens United, abortion rulings, education rulings, allowing insider trading by politicians, gutted voting rights etc etc….

Roberts and his happy band of hacks have turned the court into a partisan political arm of government.

I have no sympathy for Roberts and his fragile feelings.

If he wants us to stop hating them then I propose he and his partisan dipsticks retire to Mar-A-Lago and let the country move forward for with them it will stand still and then start in reverse.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Celebrate 250 Years

The Hill has put together a list of the events that will be celebrating our 250th birthday….I include them here on IST in case anyone wants to join in the celebration….

All this begins tomorrow….

May 7 – Alexander Hamilton Monument Rededication

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will host a rededication ceremony for the Alexander Hamilton Monument, which has undergone a restoration process.

The bronze statue was first dedicated in May 1923 and installed outside of the U.S. Treasury Building, right around the corner from the White House.

“Fittingly, the White House has been loaned a portrait of former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and the ‘sea letter’ signed by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in honor of America’s 250th birthday,” an event bio on the organizing committee’s website said.

Sea letters were required national identification documents for ships in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 1794 document signed by Washington and Jefferson authorized the travel of a vessel involved in the slave trade from New York to Trinidad, according to the Library of Congress.

May 17 – Rededicate 250  (of course that fake christian had to inject his brand of bullshit into this celebration)

America’s 250th planning committee is hosting a prayer event on the National Mall, featuring a speech from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth is outspoken about his Christian faith, and he recently faced controversy after he drew a comparison between the media and a Bible passage.

“Join Americans from every state to give thanks for 250 years, pray for the future, and rededicate our nation as One Nation under God,” the committee said in an event flyer shared on social media.

Other speakers include former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson and President Trump-aligned Catholic Bishop Robert Barron. In addition to these speeches, the event will feature religious songs and storytelling.

(skip this one for it has nothing to do with the establishing of the usa)

May 24 – America 250 Family BBQ and Cookout

The Defense Department is encouraging all overseas installations to host cookout events at the end of May to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

The department asked these military bases to invite U.S. expatriates and local communities to engage in the events on May 24.

(This one has all the earmarks of a political rally not something to celebrate the founding principles)

May 25 – Memorial Day National Observance

The planning committee is coordinating a “solemn, reverent and unified” day to commemorate the sacrifices of fallen U.S. soldiers on Memorial Day.

In addition to events taking place across the country on this day of remembrance, a national ceremony will be held at the Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater at noon May 25.

This will celebrate the fallen not the founding)

there iks much more faux celebrations that will be opportunities to lambast opponents of Donny and his band of idiots.

June 3 – Fish Fry

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will host its annual Fish Fry.

The event has been held for more than 40 years, typically in June, with hiatuses in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It usually attracts more than 1,000 people and is held at the department’s Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., according to a 2020 press release.

The Fish Fry is reserved for guests of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, congressional members and Commerce Department staff. This year’s event will feature Freedom 250 decorations and a “Made in the USA” theme, according to the planning committee’s website.

June 25 – The Great American State Fair

The National Mall will serve as the grounds for the “Great American State Fair” from June 25 to July 10.

Each day of the 16-day event will center around a different theme, like military and veterans’ appreciation and health and well-being. The fair will showcase culture from federal agencies and America’s 56 states and territories.

The planning committee advertised Wyoming dust roping, CHamoru dancing from Guam, and an Arizona desert experience.

Additionally, Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a call for original art submissions from students across the country for a chance to win a trip to Washington and have their artwork featured at the event.

Students in grades 3-12 are encouraged to share art they created inspired by historical figures featured in the National Garden of American heroes. A winner will be selected from each state, and the deadline to submit artwork is May 1.

July 4 – Independence Day Celebrations

The Department of Interior will host Independence Day celebrations on the National Mall in the nation’s capital, as well as across the U.S. in places like Mount Rushmore, Gateway Arch National Park, Grand Coulee Dam, and Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Additionally, the grand opening for former President Theodore Roosevelt’s library in Medora, N.D., is set on America’s 250th birthday. The event will feature a drone light performance on the evening of July 4.

The presidential center will pay homage to the 26th commander in chief’s “frontier spirit” and legacy as a conservationist. Tickets for the opening ceremony have sold out, but people interested in visiting the library are encouraged to plan their trips for later this summer.

The world’s largest peacetime armada, featuring tall ships and naval vessels from more than 30 nations, will also sail into New York Harbor on July 4. The event will include a parade, naval review, fireworks and festivals near the statue of Lady Liberty.

August 21 – IndyCar Street Race

The Department of Transportation is coordinating the first-ever street race in the nation’s capital later this summer with IndyCar.

The 1.7-mile course released by the motor racing organization last month loops around several historic sites on the mall in Washington, including the National Archives, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Trump, an avid fan of motor racing, announced the race in an executive order earlier this year to “showcase the majesty of our great city as drivers navigate a track around our iconic national monuments in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”

Fall 2026 – Patriot Games National Competition

The inaugural “Patriot Games” is scheduled to be held some time this fall. The four-day event will feature two high school athletes — one boy and one girl — from each U.S. state and territory.

Trump announced the “unprecedented four-day athletic event” last December.

Social media users and some Democrats have drawn unfavorable comparisons between the event and “The Hunger Games,” a fictional bloody competition from the eponymous dystopian book series.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5848096-what-to-know-about-events-marking-americas-250th/

Every one of these has nothing to do with the founding of this wonderful country and everything to do with the shoddy and tacky mind of a deranged psychopath, Donny.

Nothing about the events that brought this country to the forefront of the planet as the ‘beacon of freedom’.

Even the event on the 4th sounds more like a tacky Donny reality show than a celebration.

This is all so much bovine fecal matter.

Enough said!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Old House

This post is for fun since our country is going down in flames I wanted to brighten the day a bit….and change the subject….at least for awhile.

There is a plethora of reality shows that have this person or that chasing down ghosts and haunting….so far I am told they have found nothing after 20+ years of looking….but the hunt goes on and the cash rolls in.

Awhile back I watched a show about a guy who when working in his lab started having what he thought was a haunting….being a scientist he started investigating and after awhile he narrowed down the ‘ghost’….it was the frequency that an old fan was emitting was interfering with his mind.

And now someone has discovered what he learned with his investigations….

Those creepy vibes you get in a creaky old house may have more to do with the boiler than with the beyond. A new study suggests low-frequency “infrasound” from aging pipes, boilers, and ventilation systems can quietly raise stress levels and sour your mood—even though undetectable by human ears, per the Guardian and Gizmodo. Researchers in Canada had 36 volunteers listen to either soothing instrumental tracks or horror-movie-style music, sometimes laced with inaudible infrasound (at or below 20 hertz in frequency) via hidden subwoofers.

Participants couldn’t tell when the infrasound was on, but when it was, they reported feeling more annoyed, saw the music as sadder, and showed higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, according to findings in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. Study author Rodney Schmaltz says that for believers in ghosts, that vague bodily discomfort can become “proof” of a presence. “They attribute the feeling of irritation to a ghost rather than the old, low rumbling pipes in the basement,” the MacEwan University psychologist tells the Guardian. Infrasound also occurs near traffic and industrial machinery, Schmaltz says in a release, suggesting further study on the health effects of prolonged exposure

Let’s be honest all those reality TV shows are money makers not ghost finders….

Unfortunately, the vast majority of paranormal investigations have been of the pseudoscientific variety – based on incorrect, incomplete or misrepresented science, or invalid due to bias, manipulation, assumption or omission.

In these cases, the presented ‘evidence’ doesn’t satisfy scientific rigour, or can also be interpreted in ways that don’t require the paranormal. Other cases can be shown to be fraudulent. So, the conclusions (and methods) of such studies can be safely ignored from a strictly scientific perspective.

Of course, there are some cases of ‘hauntings’ for which there is evidence of some physical phenomena: magnetic, pressure or temperature variations, recorded images, video or audio, for example.

These phenomena don’t prove the existence of the supernatural though, as there’s no logical connection between the evidence and the conclusion. There may well be other, as yet unknown, phenomena that can explain the observations.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/can-science-explain-haunted-houses

If they want me to believe there are ghosts then someone needs to bring a dog (would be cheaper than the psuedoscientific crap they employ) since canine are very perceptive of the world around them I trust them to find these ‘ghosts’.

I hope I did not crap on anyone’s parade….but I will believe when I see one first hand and so far I am still waiting.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are You a Domestic Terrorist?

The term is batted around these days and refers to anyone who thinks that this idiot in charge is a complete moron…..and that would be ME!

That aside the Donny group that pretends to govern this country (they are actually raping it but that is okay for the dude in charge cares not) has decided what makes one a domestic terrorist….

Donald Trump is asking for more money to hunt so-called “domestic terrorists” on the left—and it seems like they’re talking about you.

Buried in the FBI’s 2027 budget request to Congress was a request for funding efforts to implement the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7), a national security strategy targeting supposed anti-American activity on the left that Trump signed in September, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported Sunday. The FBI requested funding for the recently created NSPM-7 Joint Mission Center, which brings together personnel from across 10 agencies working “to proactively identify networks and prosecute domestic terrorist and related criminal actors.”

What exactly are they looking for? Well, anything they disagree with.

“Commonly, this violent conduct relates to views associated with anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the U.S. Government (USG); extremism on migration, race, and gender. And hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality,” the budget stated.

According to the FBI, publicly expressing beliefs as banal as a critique of capitalism are now considered precursors for domestic terrorist activity.

Under NSPM-7, the Trump administration aims to target community organizers and protesters on the left. “Domestic terrorists exploit a variety of popular social media platforms, smaller websites with targeted audiences, and encrypted chat applications,” the budget stated. “They use these platforms to recruit new adherents, plan and rally support for in-person actions, and disseminate materials encouraging radicalization and mobilization to violence.”

The FBI requested $166.1 million and 328 positions, including five attorneys and 130 special agents, for its counterterrorism activities in the coming fiscal year, including plans to “implement National Security Presidential Memorandum / NSPM-7 requirements.”

https://newrepublic.com/post/208659/donald-trump-fbi-domestic-terrorism-budget

There you have it sports fans….anyone that uses social media to diss Donny and his crowd are domestic terrorists.

And that would be ME!

I have been a functioning leftist for 7 decades and nothing this addle brain moron you elected has to say means anything to me.

So how do you match up?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Missing Scientists

Today is Star Wars Day….May the Fourth be with you.

In that vane I would like to tackle those missing scientists.

By now everyone has at least heard the stories of all those missing scientists….the problem is there is no common denominator for their disappearance or death….or is there?

It sounds like the plot for an episode of The X-Files: at least 10 scientists – and counting – who all supposedly had access to sensitive US government research are dead or missing under mysterious circumstances.

Four worked for Nasa; three of them were even on the same team. Two had worked together at the same national laboratory in New Mexico. Another – a former senior air force research engineer who left his home on Feb 27 and hasn’t been seen since – had been involved in UFO research after his retirement.

The nature of the researchers’ work – which spans nuclear science, astrophysics and aeronautics – has led to speculation in recent weeks that they might all be connected.

Conspiracy theories abound, mostly online, about the possible links between the cases, while others suggest it is a coincidence.

“We’re going to look for connections,” Kash Patel, the FBI director, conceded in an interview with Fox News, noting that the FBI would be looking at the scientists’ “access to classified information” and “foreign actors”.

“If there’s any connection that leads to nefarious conduct or conspiracy, this FBI will make the appropriate arrest,” he said.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/05/03/missing-dead-scientists-nasa-research/

Sorry but I would not trust that lush Patel with anything much less investigating these events.

I am sure by now everyone knows that there will be some sort of conspiracy to grow up around these incidents…..

First the project’s biggest funder died preposterously, of an infected wound from shaving. Soon death came for others linked to the inscrutable and important work — a visiting diplomat, the lead funder’s half-brother, and a string of scientists involved with the project. They died of suicide, of strange illnesses, in a gruesome murder. There were so many deaths that there was no way they could not be connected. Finally, the project’s lead scientist and most famous face died unexpectedly, years after the project’s completion.

Anyone following the news lately might think the above paragraphs are about the “disappearing scientists” story, alleging that a number of researchers and scientists connected to the defense industry or astrophysics have all died of unusual causes over the last year, with some vanishing while on walks and others horrifically murdered in seemingly random shootings.

This conspiracy theory has jumped from obscurity to global coverage in just weeks, with more names being added to the “death list” every day.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/whats-really-underpinning-the-missing-scientists-conspiracy-theory

I do not want to add to the conspiracy but there has got to be some sort of commonality in these incidents…..when they discover that they will most likely discover what the Hell is going on.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And So It Begins?

We have had multiple attacks on the wealthy and it appears that the masses have decided they have had enough of the bullshit and want the country back.

When I returned from Vietnam I immersed myself in the antiwar movement and political activism that was in 1971 and I have been disappointed in the last few decades at the way people accept war and all its ugliness.

But recently I have become more optimistic about the role of veterans…..

Capitol Police arrested the protesters, who had gathered in the rotunda holding red tulips and signs reading “End the War on Iran” and “We Can’t Afford Another War.” Many had donned t-shirts with the message “Veterans Against Fascism.”

The action was organized by a coalition of groups, including About Face, Veterans For Peace, Common Defense, the Center on Conscience and War, the Fayetteville Resistance Coalition, Military Families Speak Out, and 50501 Veterans.

Video shared by Reuters showed officers handcuffing the demonstrators and leading them out of the building.

Among those arrested was the Center on Conscience and War’s executive director and Iraq war veteran Mike Prysner.

“The war I was sent to senselessly claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and a million Iraqis. Like the other veterans here with me today, I have spent the last two decades wishing I could turn back the hands of time and refuse to go,” Prysner said in a statement before his arrest.

“Service members have that chance right now. Conscientious Objection is your legal right, and we have professional counselors who will fight to ensure you are approved and kept from deployment,” he continued.

“I am getting arrested to raise awareness about that option, because now is the time.”

(tag24.com)

Bravo!

Do not let it stop there….keep up the pressure…..we have a nation to win back.

Now the so-called ‘anarchists’ are calling for mass protests as May Day approaches….

Anarchists have issued a global call to take to the streets and protest on May 1 in the name of anti-authoritarian solidarity for their annual May Day event.

They have called on groups and individuals “to reinvigorate May 1st.”

The radical demonstrators say that for the past decade, uncertainty, poverty and police “democracy” are dominating too many peoples’ lives.

“Austerity for all is now simply just the way things are. Ten years of worsening conditions, now it seems that cracks are beginning to form,” the anonymous writers said in their call for action on the open publishing platform autonomies.net.

The unsigned missive described how for many years, the first day of May was an opportunity to show “global revolutionary solidarity” through anarchist actions, parades, parties and global events that would inspire them to “move forward.”

“This moment in time is not sustainable. Brutal war, climate catastrophe and failing austerity economies are shared realities for a vast majority of people,” they said, asserting that people have “lost all faith in the global social and political order. Everyone is waiting and cheering for its end.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/20/anarchists-call-fellow-radicals-around-globe-take-streets-may-1st

Anarchist is only a dirt word to those that are not smart enough to grasp what the movement is all about.

 

Have They Had Enough?

Almost daily I see where some are predicting that the MAGA movement is losing its luster….most of them I ignore but I did read one that I just have to share with my fellow bloggers….

For those that are abandoning the MAGA there is a new support group….

Donald Trump’s promise of a new MAGA golden age for America is cracking from within. A decade into his rise to power, a growing number of his coalition’s supporters are not just tired — they are walking away.

Rich Logis, founder and CEO of Leaving MAGA, is a former MAGA podcaster and fundraiser, and the author of “One Betrayal Too Many: Why I Left MAGA.” In a speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, he reflected on his experience with MAGA and why he finally left. Now he is going a step further. To encourage defectors from Trump’s coalition, his organization is paying for billboards with messages such as “You are not alone,” “Welcome home” and “Find your new community.” The campaign, which is estimated to cost $20,000, launched April 15 in Texas, and will soon expand to Florida, Pennsylvania and Iowa.

Leaving MAGA, Logis told Raw Story, is experiencing “record-high” fundraising and more MAGA followers are reaching out to the organization “than ever before.” But what is driving them out? His answer is direct and clear: the president’s lies, which Logis described as “Trump’s toxic superpower.”

Other reasons are also piling up. The president’s tariffs, which have in part led to spiraling prices for food, housing, gas and other essentials. His broken promise to end “stupid foreign wars” — followed by a war of choice against Iran. The cruelty of Trump’s mass deportations, which are ensnaring and killing Americans. The Epstein files. Greed and blatant corruption. An image of the president as Jesus Christ, which he proudly shared on April 12 and, after widespread criticism, including from evangelicals, he deleted the following day.

https://www.salon.com/2026/04/28/they-voted-for-maga-now-they-want-out/

Some of the reasons that I read all the time are Donny’s tariffs, prices and unwanted wars…..those would be good reasons for leaving the movement but they were told beforehand what his plans were  for the country and the world….so I guess they thought he was just ‘goofing’ them….like I said they are not the sharpest pencils in the box.

While I was putting this post together I came across another MAGA story….

In an article published on April 28, Salon’s Chauncey DeVega takes a look at MAGA voters who are feeling increasingly frustrated with Trump but psychologically, are having a hard time “leaving” him even though the reasons for doing so are “piling up.”

“Donald Trump’s promise of a new MAGA golden age for America is cracking from within,” DeVega argues. “A decade into his rise to power, a growing number of his coalition’s supporters are not just tired — they are walking away…. The president’s tariffs, which have in part led to spiraling prices for food, housing, gas and other essentials. His broken promise to end ‘stupid foreign wars’ — followed by a war of choice against Iran. The cruelty of Trump’s mass deportations, which are ensnaring and killing Americans. The Epstein files. Greed and blatant corruption. An image of the president as Jesus Christ, which he proudly shared on April 12 and, after widespread criticism, including from evangelicals, he deleted the following day.”

…

DeVega continues, ” Leaving is not easy. For the most committed MAGA members, the movement is all-encompassing. It is their identity, social world and way of life. For many true believers, it means alienating friends, family, neighbors, and leaving the right-wing echo chamber of conspiracism, lies and ‘mass radicalization.'”

According to DeVega, “leaving” Trump and MAGA “will demand rebuilding civic trust between people who have been on the opposite side of a deep moral and political chasm.”

https://www.alternet.org/maga-voters-trump-salon/

Yo Bubba….if you cannot leave then you are in a CULT!  PERIOD!

This article just proves, to me, what worthless sheep the MAGA morons truly are….if they cannot just walk away from a useless POS like Donny then they are truly sheep to the slaughter and they deserve everything that comes their way.

Does any of this bode bad for the movement as a whole?

So is Donny losing his grip on the MAGA morons?

I say no it does not all will be forgiven in time for the next general election….for hate does not just disappear or become replaced with logical thinking.

Sorry just had to let you know what I was thinking as I read that pile of streaming manure.

Whatcha think?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Let’s Try This Stupidity Again

Back in the early days of the 2008 election a couple of guys wanted to build a new independent party (dammit!  I cannot recall what is was called)….their idea was to nominate a Dem and a Repub for a new independent ticket….it was a bomb and at best it was a political scam…..and now almost 20 years later another ‘well meaning’ billionaire has a ‘new’ idea.

Floridians aren’t getting John Morgan on the ballot—but he’s dangling six figures to rebrand their politics. The 70-year-old billionaire ended statewide speculation on Monday by announcing that he would not run for governor, reports Politico. However, Morgan does plan to launch a new state political party and will pay $100,000 to whoever comes up with its name. The contest rules will be laid out in the coming days. One that’s clear: Morgan can afford the reward: Forbes pegs his worth at $1.5 billion.

Morgan, who built the Morgan & Morgan injury law empire, has poured millions into successful ballot measures to raise Florida’s minimum wage and legalize marijuana, earning him the nickname “Pot Daddy.” The former Democrat, who is now registered as an Independent, previously flirted with gubernatorial runs in 2018 and 2024. In his Monday video, Morgan argued that “what ails us is the two-party system,” adding, “Most of us agree on most things, but if you put the D up and the R up, nothing ever gets done.”

Do not be fooled!  This is just another political scam by a billionaire that is hedging his vote in case Donny is shown the door.

Got It!  (Damn!  That took a lot of thinking on my poor brain)

This 2008 attempt was called Unit08

The political reform movement was founded as a non-profit organization by several political figures: Democrats Hamilton Jordan, Gerald Rafshoon, and Republican consultants Doug Bailey and Jim Jonas and the former two-term independent Maine Governor Angus King. Unity08 attempted to leverage online technology, such as secure voting, to allow American voters to determine the most crucial issues facing the country, discuss them with potential nominees, and participate in an online convention to nominate a bipartisan presidential ticket. In an interview that aired on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in May 2006, Unity08’s founders said that the group was formed in response to the polarization between the Republican and Democratic political parties. The group also cited a poll it commissioned from Princeton Survey Research and claimed that 82 percent of Americans think that the two major political parties are unable to address the country’s problems and that 73 percent of Americans are in favor of alternatives to the two parties.

The group’s status as a non-profit organization came into question when they asked the Federal Election Commission whether the group could defer registering as a political action committee until after its candidates for the 2008 presidential election were named. A draft released by the commission in July 2006 concluded that “Unity08 must register as a policy committee and therefore is subject to the reporting requirements and limitations and prohibitions.”  In October 2006, the commission voted on the matter and declared that the group must register as a political action committee.

It stated goals were….

Unity08 had four major goals:

  • Enable Americans to rank America’s most crucial issues.
  • Empower Americans to draft or evaluate Unity08 candidates and actively engage them in debate about the crucial issues.
  • Empower Americans to nominate a bipartisan Unity ticket via an online convention and secure voting process.
  • Elect the Unity08 presidential ticket to national office.

The Unity08 presidential ticket was to consist of two candidates that come from different political parties. This bipartisan team was to propose a bipartisan cabinet in an effort to end paralysis in government. Co-founder Doug Bailey explained “What we are trying to do is to create a forum for people who are in the middle who have been left out of politics.”

Here is what ‘liberal’ bloggers thought (that would be me)

Liberal bloggers also expressed frustration with Unity08 because they contend that the group promoted “establishment” centrist or center-right politicians in the molds of Joe Lieberman and Michael Bloomberg while at the same time doing little to promote the progressive values it would seemingly represent. Chris Bowers of the political blog MyDD called the group’s supporters “rich, center-right, ‘non-partisan‘ donors who trash progressives and never criticize conservatives in power,” and claimed that the movement has no grassroots support.  Other bloggers also criticized the heavy representation of lobbyists among the organization’s officers.

It failed….why?  Lack of funds for most people saw it for what it was a political scam.

Please do not fall prey to this overt bullshit by a some billionaire to hedge his vote.

I will vote for a third party but it will not be anyone of this caliber.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Economic Inequality

The Dems should be all over this situation but instead they want to mess around with Epstein and other such nonsense none of which will improve the lives of Americans on iota.

Economic inequality should be the priority as elections start coming into view…for instance…

On Saturday, data shared by The Kobeissi Letter highlights a stark divergence in wealth growth since 1976.

According to the post on X, the real wealth of the top 0.001% of U.S. households has surged roughly 3,500% over that period.

By comparison, the top 0.01% and 0.1% saw gains of about 2,200% and 1,200%, respectively, while the average household’s wealth increased by just 200%.

The post also noted a sharp rise in ultra-wealthy households, estimating that about 430,000 U.S. households now hold at least $30 million in net worth, including roughly 74,000 worth more than $100 million.

A large share of wealth at the top is tied to financial markets. “~72% of wealth for the top 0.1% is concentrated in corporate equities, mutual funds, and private businesses,” the post said.

In contrast, lower-income households have struggled to build wealth.

“The bottom 50% of US households had more debt than assets for nearly 2 decades,” the post stated, adding that their net worth turned positive only after 2020, aided by stimulus checks and rising home values.

Summing up the trend, the post concluded: “Asset owners are the only winners.”

https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/26/04/51903117/us-wealth-inequality-hits-record-high-as-top-0-001-gains-3500-since-1976-while-average-households-lag-at-200

Let’s be honest the plan is to pay workers as little as possible to keep the CEOs rolling in bonuses….

Janine Jackson interviewed Institute for Policy Studies’ Sarah Anderson about “successful” corporations paying poverty wages for the April 17, 2026, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.

Janine Jackson: In 2024, Forbes asked, “What Is the Secret to Walmart’s Success?” The answer:

Walmart’s strategy is boring but reliable. The foundation is provided by the scale of the business, creating the fuel necessary to maintain cost leadership.

In 2025, the Economist explained to readers “How Walmart Became a Tech Giant—and Took Over the World.” The answer, well, founder Sam Walton, a “trucker-capped, pickup-driving penny-pincher,” had a simple idea: “Keep costs low, pass savings on to customers, win market share, harness scale to further lower costs, and listen as the cash registers sing.”

Early this year, Inc. Magazine gave us “One Bold Decision Helped Make Walmart a Trillion-Dollar Company.” That story says:

Early this year, Inc. Magazine gave us “One Bold Decision Helped Make Walmart a Trillion-Dollar Company.” That story says:

Most experts see the company’s tremendous growth as a triumph of technology, including AI, and that’s certainly true. Walmart has used its heft, highly efficient warehouse network and the ubiquity of its stores as a competitive advantage.

But oho, the shocker, the big reveal, is that former CEO, Doug McMillon, “visited Walmart stores and asked the people working there what they needed. He listened to their answers and he started paying them more.”

Well, I hope you’re sitting down for this: “To begin with, every associate, as Walmart calls employees, would earn at least $9 an hour and soon move up to $10 an hour.” McMillon took home $27.4 million in 2024.

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-all-about-keeping-wages-at-poverty-levels-to-overpay-their-ceos/

There you have a simple plan….give the voters something that will help make their wallets fatter and you have hit on a winner.

But instead the Dems crawl back to the high dollar donors and become their representatives not those of the people….they will be losers as long as they lay with the dollars.

You can change that but instead you had rather stand on the sideline and wish for change….and whine about your plight.

Not coming as long as you have that kind of attitude.  PERIOD!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”