Here's An Image Of A Sack Of Shit

 

Oh, I forgot: a lying sack of shit.

Some Stuff About Costco; And Maybe About America

 The Economist has always been positive about Costco.

They, every year or two, have an article about what a well-run company it is and how well they treat their employees, especially compared to a prime Costco competitor - Walmart.

Economist points out with atypical British glee that Costco runs financial rings around Sam's Big Sweat Shop: they pay their people; they have medical benefits; they have retirement; but in all the financial measurements, they beat the pants off Walmart.

I guess that's why I keep seeing the same employees at Store One over the years.

But then, I am a Costco devotee.

Most of what I buy that I would otherwise buy in a grocery I buy at Costco.

So, I was really interested in the most recent Economist article about the company.

Net, net it said that most of Costco's profit is derived from annual membership fees.

I have read articles over the years excoriating Costco for that fact.

"You're supposed to extract your profit from the price of the stuff you sell, not some 'loyalty fee' so say the gurus of business economics, not the value you provide your customers.

Back to the Economist article that I am referencing; they said that the reason for Costco's continued growth, success and better-than-Walmart numbers is value.

Costco's customers renew their membership every year because they consistently get best products at best prices and check out with best employees of a best company,

I have not bought Best Foods mayonnaise at my local grocer recently because their price is $9.75 for a quart.

Yesterday I bought a two quart jar of Best Foods mayonnaise at Costco for $6.99.

I shop at Costco at least four times a month.

My membership fee has just been increased to $130.

That's $2.70 a store visit.

Even if I add that $2.70 pro rata store visit surcharge to the $6.99 Best Foods Mayonnaise, I come out $.06 ahead on double the mayonnaise  

 

I Just Found This In My Poems Draft Folder

 I didn't even know I had a poems draft folder.

But there it was.

And here is the poem - there are others - but I want to share this one that I want to share.

I have no idea what it means.

But do poems ever really mean anything?

Pretty much done: is what you may be

Pretty much done: when all you seem to see

Is the book, the bottle, the bed and the key

Pretty much done: the key to the door, or maybe infinity

Pretty much done: whatever it may be

But, pretty much done can’t replace

The feeling of a face

As it brushes yours

Pretty much done: the other shores

Pretty much done: the day you first saw the center of the earth sea

Pretty much done: that vision seemed, then, to be infinity

Infinity rhymes nicely with key and be and see so let it be

I guess that is ok; we shall see

Pretty much done:  why did you cry that day when you saw the sea?

You cried that day on the vantage of the sea because it was you that day

And there was me.

Pretty much done.

Is what a poet would say

About this brief metric essay

Pretty much done.

Roger's Song

 Several years ago - I was in Paris for an extended stay, so that is probably why the mundane inspired an attempt at art.

I got an email from a long-term friend.

He was looking back while looking forward while cursing time and being, as always, an iconoclast.

I read it a couple of times (I had had a great day wandering Paris and I was three glasses of Corbieres into my evening, back at my apartment, and I was just spoiling for some reason to write about something).

The tone of the email, underneath the obvious, was a deep tone of melancholy.

I picked up the challenge and ran with it.

I decided to write a poem that I thought Bruce Springsteen would have written if he had gotten that email.

Here it is.

My family didn’t have too much

But we never really cared

America was always there for us

And most of us all shared

Just put a boat in the harbor then

We could always catch some perch

And laying off their skeletons

We’d take them to the church

Where Fridays after work was done

We’d fry the gathered catch

And pretend we all were rich folks then

As a kid that seemed the best

The best that life could ever be

The best of times so far

But darkness lurked all over us

Like being trapped inside a jar

A jar so full of smoke

That nothing could be seen

But nothing seemed enough for us

So we made the most of lean

Lean times, slim pickins was all we had

Clouded by that jar

The best that life could ever be

The best of times so far

I was different from most of them

I got a college rag

I got a job with IBM

Success was in the bag

But darkness lurked around me still

That jar now clear to see

That nothing was too great for me

So nothing would I be

I made a lot of money

And pissed it all away

Finally moved to somewhere warm

That’s where I am today

And thinking thoughts behind me

I finally may believe

That going back a lifetime

Is my last reprieve

Now I sit here wondrin’

Why I even care

Michael didn’t get me

And nothin’s really fair

My mind goes back at night time

To the fish out on the bay

That bay’s all filled with sand now

But why should I just stay

Stay here among the dying

The crippled and the dead

When packing up when dawn comes

All of this could be shed

And trek back to where I came from

Back up to the north

Back to where I came from

Back up in the north

Back to where the sandbar

That once had been the bay

Is now a metered parking lot

The perch all gone away

Still cold as hell in winter

With tons of winter snow 

No new business no hotels and nothin’

Nothin’ for to show

For all the time now long gone 

For all the smoke that’s cleared

And America still is there for us

So nothing should be feared

And trek back to where I came from

Back to where I still own

Some land that once was left to me

Two plots with each its stone

The graveyard plots of yesteryear

The prizes left me to win

Or prizes left me to own.

Bing On Tariffs

 

I decided that I would find out if Bing/Copilot is as dumb as the MAGA crowd.

donnie keeps saying that he is going to bring in a huge amount of money from nations who export to the US - mostly China - by putting huge tariffs on all imported goods.

Since most of what Americans buy is imported, that, donnie says, is going to bring us scads and scads of money; so much money in fact that he can cut taxes to the bone - for rich people and corporations.

And China will foot the bill.

So, I asked Bing some questions.

Noel: "Who pays the tariff on imports?"

Bing: "A tariff is a tax on imported goods. Contrary to what some might think, it’s almost always paid directly by the importer (usually a domestic firm), not the exporting country. So, when the United States imposes a tariff on something, it’s the US importer who bears the cost, not the foreign exporter. If you’re importing goods subject to duty under the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule, you—the importer of record—must pay the tariffs."

Noel: "So the American people don't pay?"

Bing: "Correct! The American people don’t directly pay the tariffs. Instead, it’s the importers (usually domestic companies) who bear the cost when importing goods subject to duty. These tariffs are collected by the U.S. government from the importers."

Noel: "Who gets the tariffs paid by the importers?"

Bing: "The U.S. government receives the tariffs paid by the importers. These funds contribute to government revenue and can be used for various purposes."

Noel: " So the importers pay the government a lot of money and the people get cheap imported goods.  That's a good deal isn't it?"

Bing: "Indeed, it might seem like a good deal at first glance. Importers pay the tariffs, and consumers benefit from access to cheaper imported goods. However: while importers pay the tariffs directly, they often pass some or all of the cost to consumers through higher prices."

Noel: " You say "often pass some or all of the cost to consumers". Don't they really pass all of the cost?"

Bing: "You raise a valid point! In practice, importers often do pass most of the tariff cost to consumers. While they absorb some of the expense, the majority is indeed shifted to end-users through higher prices. So, you’re right—it’s more accurate to say they pass almost all of the cost."

Noel: "I wonder why trump wasn't 'more accurate'?"

Bing: "Ah, the nuances of political communication! While precision is essential, politicians often use language strategically to convey their message or appeal to specific audiences."

Noel: "Could he be lying?"

Bing: "As an AI language model, I don’t make judgments about individuals’ intentions, but I can provide context. Politicians often use simplified messaging to convey their stance on complex issues. Whether it’s intentional or not, statements may not always align with the full reality."

Noel: "So the MAGA bunch will figure it out next time they check out at Walmart?"

Bing: "When the MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters check out at Walmart, they’ll likely notice the prices of imported goods. While the full impact of tariffs can be complex, the practical result is often higher prices for consumers. So, yes, they’ll feel it in their wallets!"

Noel: "Nice talking with you!"

Bing: "Thank you! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you too!" 

 

A Lotta Lies

I watched the RNC last evening. A big difference between this year and previous conventions was that EVERYBODY was spewing lies, not just donnie the dildo. I was surprised that even hostage families had a lot of lies to tell.

I had to wonder how much the RNC paid all those civilians to deliver their lines.

You can tell when Vance is lying: he puts his hand over his heart.

Sent from my iPhone

"Assassination" Primer

 Starting at 17h03 on 13 July I started documenting the nature of the hoax that has served as prologue to the RNC.

The fortuitous nature of the whole charade is so laughable that it's unbelievable that even people as gullible as the MAGGOTS would swallow it.

Scripted Shooting At trump Rally

The Most Contrived Image Of This Century

What Was The Tool?

Perspective On The Scripted Assassination Attempt

The Grifter Even Grifts A Staged Assassination Attempt

The Assassin's Cell Phone

President Vance

That United We Stand Bullshit

Praline Pecans From Costco

 I asked Bing/Copilot "Has Costco discontinued praline pecans?"

Bing replied:

"Yes, Costco has discontinued the Kirkland Signature Praline Pecans. These delicious pecans were coated with a sweet praline coating and came in a 40 oz jar. Unfortunately, they are no longer available for purchase. If you’re looking for an alternative, consider trying homemade pecans from the heart of the Mississippi Delta—they’re packed with essential nutrients, healthy fats, and antioxidants."

Bing pointed out that they were still available from Amazon, though.

With a little uplift in price.

At Costco they were $14.95; do suppose these two Seattle companies are colluding on a fiendish price fixing gambit? 

It's a short supply chain from Store One to the Sphere.

That United We Stand Bullshit

 donnie is a grifter, liar, convicted felon, convicted civil criminal and convicted sexual predator.

So when he starts spewing his "conciliation and bind up the nation's wounds" speech only morons will believe it.

Oh yeah, I forgot.

That's his target audience.

President Vance

 J. D. Vance will assume the presidency shortly after 20 January 2025.

The nation will descend into grief at the death of donnie the dildo who will die from complications from his gunshot wound.

Fired From The Stranger

 I just heard a local Seattle news item.

One of the writers for The Stranger was fired for a Twitter post.

She wrote "Make America Aim Again".

Good thing I'm unemployed.

The Assassin's Cell Phone

 When that is cracked there are going to be some phone calls to and from Laura trump.

And Ol' Margery.

I heard somewhere that that is what "Q" is saying.

They should be real interesting.

Sample: "Remember, you're supposed to miss". 

And: "What's your Bitcoin number?"

I Wonder What Bishop Usher Would Say?

 I had some questions for Bing/Copilot:

I have recently read about a third species of human, now extinct, that co-resided with Homo Neanderthal and Homo Sapien humans, and bred with them.  What is its name?

The third species you’re referring to is Homo heidelbergensis. Many researchers consider it a common ancestor of both modern humans and Neanderthals. This fascinating species lived side-by-side with our ancestors in ancient Africa, and their interactions left a genetic legacy that still influences us today.

How long ago did they live?

Homo heidelbergensis lived approximately 700,000 to 200,000 years ago during the Middle Pleistocene. These ancient humans existed in both Europe and Africa, and they are considered a chronospecies, representing a crucial point in our evolutionary history between modern humans and Neanderthals.

Are Neanderthals part of the homo clan?

Neanderthals are Homo Sapiens’s closest-known relative. We coexisted with them for thousands of years, up until the end of their long reign around 40,000 years ago. While we sometimes unfairly characterized them as lumbering dimwits, recent discoveries reveal their surprising complexity. Neanderthals even left behind intriguing structures in Bruniquel Cave, France, hinting at creativity and perhaps symbolism. Genetic evidence confirms that we interbred with Neanderthals, making them partly our ancestors, even though we didn’t evolve directly from them.

Are there any other homo varieties?

Certainly! Apart from our species, Homo sapiens, several other fascinating Homo varieties have existed on Earth. Here are a few:

Homo Rudolfensis: Existed around 1.9 million to 1.8 million years ago. Their physical characteristics remain somewhat mysterious due to limited cranial fossils.

Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Homo Antecessor, and Homo Naledi are also part of this diverse lineage.

The Grifter Even Grifts A Staged Assassination Attempt

 Even if the recent "assassination attempt" had been anything but staged, and if it had played out in reality as the current story has it in MAGA fantasy, donnie would be the great grifter of presidential assassinees.

A bloody ear?

C'mon folks.

Wishing speedy recovery?

Recovery from what?

Hemorrhoids are more life threatening. 

Perspective On The Scripted Assassination Attempt

 

It's worthless turnabout, but after years of "Q" and rest it's at least a lot of fun to tucker the carlsons.

What Was The Tool?

 I would like to know what donnie used to make his ear bleed in yesterday's staged "assassination".

I remember a long time ago when I used to play with blades from my father's Schick razor dispenser, I cut my fingers a lot.

I assume it was something like that.

Has anybody found an antique Schick razor on the stage "where donnie went down"?

Just as a side note I asked Bing/Copilot about the tumbling of an AR-15 223 caliber bullet (they do that, you know, that's why they are so popular as hunting rifles; they hand over deer burger at point of conquest). I always thought that they tumbled through the air; it turns out they don't tumble until they enter the target.

"An AR-15 bullet can tumble when it strikes a target, causing it to yaw or change its orientation mid-flight. This tumbling effect can result in increased damage to the target1. The .223 and 5.56 bullets used in AR-15s tumble upon impact with the body, influenced by factors like shot location and ammunition type."

The Most Contrived Image Of This Century

donnie and his crew outdid themselves yesterday.

Not only did they stage a successful "assassination attempt", but they also staged an image composed to rip off Liberty Leading the People.

Good day for donnie the dildo.

Bad day for the dead people.

But donnie and the RNC were busy making an omelet and we all know ya gotta break some eggs.

Scripted Shooting At trump Rally

 The trump campaign's faux assassination has succeeded.

One has to admit it was gutsy.

His people winged him barely; if they'd missed, he would be dead.

The totally required knee jerk reaction from the Secret Service has put the stamp of reality on this RNC staged event.

The end has begun.

From The Authors Of Project 2025

 This was in the Washington Post with the headline;

(Of course, since it was in my MSN newsfeed it might be fake news, AI predatory journalism or radical left Democrat lies. Probably is. One of those.)

 Trump allies at Heritage declare 2024 election illegitimate in advance

Barbra Streisand kidnapped by Hamas. Antifa-BLM protesters taking over a migrant detention facility. The FBI arresting Donald Trump two days after winning the election.

These were among the far-fetched scenarios imagined by a simulation of threats to the 2024 election showcased Thursday by the right-wing Heritage Foundation. The presentation, delivered at the foundation’s Washington headquarters, stated as a given that the Biden administration was already engaged in a sweeping conspiracy to use multiple forms of federal power to influence the presidential election. It did not supply any evidence.

“As things stand right now, there’s a zero percent chance of a free and fair election,” said Mike Howell, executive director of Heritage’s Oversight Project. “I’m formally accusing the Biden administration of creating the conditions that most reasonable policymakers and officials cannot in good conscience certify an election.”

The report said a key finding was that the sitting president is the greatest danger to the peaceful transition of power, with no mention of Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 loss. Instead it offered that conclusion as justification for doubting the outcome of the 2024 election and trying to reject anything other than a Trump victory. Trump himself has repeatedly declined to say he will accept the results or rule out a violent response. He has told his supporters that he can only lose through cheating.

Howell said the exercise would lead Heritage to file more litigation over election procedures. He also said it should help the public resist “psychological operations” that he claimed were used in 2020 and are being used again. He didn’t say who supposedly ran the operations.

Nice Summary Of The Future From The Daily Beast

 Add this to Project 2025 and we've damn near got Utopia.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) on Thursday accused “the angry feminist movement” of emasculating men and said the U.S. should “work our way back” to 1960 if former President Donald Trump wins in November.

In a House floor speech that could have been lifted from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Grothman went after supporters of government-funded childcare programs and said President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty “took the purpose out of the man’s life, because now you have a basket of goodies for the mom.” He added, “They’ve taken away the purpose of the man to be part of a family. And if we want to get America back to, say, 1960, where this was almost unheard of, we have to fundamentally change these programs.”

Grothman said “the breakdown of the family” was caused by the U.S. government in the 1960s and “people like Angela Davis, well-known communist, people like the feminists who were so important in the 1960s.”

“So I hope the press corps picks up on this, and I hope Republican and Democrat leadership put together some sort of plan for January, in which we work our way back to where America was in the 1960s,” he added.

Joe And George

George Washington led a rag tag band of fellows for seven years in a series of skirmishes, guerilla actions and battles; in the end, with late breaking help from the French navy the colonists and General Washington defeated the British and Washington gave the world a new country.

Washington was President of the Philidelphia Convention that gave us our Constitution.

Later he became first President of the United States of America.

He served in that office for eight years - two terms.

He could probably have served to death - there was no term limit in the Constitution and Washington was one of the most revered people in that looming new century.

He could probably have established a dynasty and defined the presidency in such a way as to make it an institution indistinguishable from any monarch then extant.

But he didn't.

That notwithstanding, he surely could have served a third term.

But he felt that the new country was better served to test its mettle in the world under new leadership.

He felt that the transfer of power - unheard of in those times - peacefully and co-operatively was a revolutionary concept needful of demonstration and testing in real time in the real world.

So, he declined to run for a third term, returned to Mt Vernon and gave his new country its head to run as it might in the world under leadership newly chosen as the people and the Constitution dictated.

He was a great man; he gave us our country, he took the levers of power to get it going, and then he turned it over to us to keep on course.

And his faith in us has been warranted; we have done a lot of things great and significant.

Now we need another great man to relinquish the presidency to a new generation.

Joe Biden gave our country back to us in 2020.

Now he needs to give the responsibility for competing for leadership of that country over to someone else.

Before we lose it again, this time permanently, and to darkness, futility and oblivion.

Gaza Not A War

 Over the last several months since 8 October 2023 when I started commenting on the Gaza situation, I have intermittently talked about massive cumulative mayhem: the Israelis have indiscriminately killed upwards of forty thousand women and children - some men too - but the IDF specializes in women and children.

To get that massive number the IDF has had to go to where the women and children are: homes. hospitals, markets and highways to and from places where the IDF has directed the women and children to relocate to; the IDF has gotten really good at hospitals; they can get a two thousand pounder right on the center of the facility; the shock wave does the rest.

Gets a lot of women and children - good bang for the buck - the American buck.

If you want to see a summary of all of that, please see:

The Gaza Primer

If you do read all of that I wonder if you will draw the same conclusion that I have drawn: the IDF actions in Gaza are not a war, they are a tantrum, a drawn out, beating head on the floor, howling tantrum.

Two Ents

 I met these in Parc Buttes des Chaumont.

It Always Ends The Same

 When the vector and intensity of the stuff of the day taste, smell and sound like a sinking ship, it always ends the same.

I adopted this truth as truth when Ted Kennedy went down in flames and off the road and into the water.

Back in the late 60s.

And that is the taste, smell and sound of the "situation" since last Thursday night's debate debacle.

Joe Biden is going to drop out.

Since it's too late and since Kamala is unavoidable, the whole fiasco is just that.

We had a good 236 years.

"A Letter To Joe Biden", First Published 18 May 2024

And at that time I was still in the camp that thought that the President was getting a bad rap about his age; I saw the problem; I acknowledged the appearances, and appearances quickly become perceptions and perceptions are usually spun into reality, but I didn't believe that Joe had any more than a serious perception problem.

Last night threw all that thinking into a cocked hat.

What I suggested on 18 May has become much more necessary not whimsical.

I doubt if it can be pulled off, but I've always been one to piss on the ashes.

********************************************

"Dear Mr. President

I am about week older than you and a deeply progressive Democrat.

I understand and dread the perils of another donnie the dildo presidency.

So I am writing you this letter.

Because, in spite of all your good intentions, your honor, integrity and your high qualifications for the office you hold, and your many achievements as President, you are likely to fail the most rudimentary test of presidential greatness: election to a second term.

You have made another donnie presidency nearly inevitable.

And we can't have that.

The fabric of our nation and the world's dependency upon that fabric will come un-woven with the great orange idiot flailing aimlessly around again.

But a variety of problems, mostly of your making, have gotten you and the rest of us to the brink of America becoming donnieLand.

And that is not good.

In fact, that is really, really, really bad.

George Washington, in a letter to Lafayette in 1788 made an observation that sums up the problem you have managed to crystalize.

He said, "There cannot, in my judgement, be the least danger that the President will by any practicable intrigue ever be able to continue himself one moment in office, much less perpetuate himself in it; but [in modern parlance substitute 'except' for 'but'] in the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity; and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes".

The fact that seventy-four million Americans voted for trump in 2020, and even more appear to be ready to do so again seems to indicate that "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity" have arrived in America.

And you have let this last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity be the operative factor in who wins, probably the last presidential election in America.

Why is that the operative factor?

Here's why.

As you are acutely aware, a handful of states actually elect the president, not the population of the Unites States.

As was proven in 2016, when the trump campaign's surgical use of the Manafort/Kilimnik Data Base in five of those states induced enough black voters to pass on voting that all five of those states went to donnie, and with them, the presidency.

Because of bad luck and bad decisions, you have likely lost significant tranches of voters in the various groups that constitute your base; that, in those five, six or seven states, will likely have the same effect on your chances of winning those electors as did the Manafort/Kilimnik Data Base in 2016 against Clinton.

Add to that the widespread republican voter repression actions across our nation and you have an unwinnable contest.

Once decent people have been alienated, or winnowed, enough of the "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity" are left to tip the balance.

donnie wins; you lose.

And that is not good.

Here, in random order, are what I think have been some of your bad decisions and some of your bad luck.

These things are all having a fatally adverse effect on your chances in the upcoming campaign and election.

Where there is a relationship - bad luck induced by bad decision, or bad decision as a reaction to bad luck, I have made the two immediately adjacent in the list.

The problem with them is that they all have deep influence on your current plight, and they can't be un-done.

Those dice have already been cast.

They can't be un-cast.

*******************************************************************

Bad Luck: In trump's second impeachment, by verdict day in 2021, the republican party had become so rotten that only seven of the republican senators voted the obvious guilty verdict; that left a deeply wounded and extremely cunning adversary on the playing field ready for violence and mayhem.

Bad Decision: The attorney General you appointed looked good but hasn't panned out.

Bad Luck: The Attorney General you appointed let crucial months elapse before appointing investigative and indictive authority to be brought to the most serious question in the history of our Republic: did the ex-president plan and incite an insurrection? By the time that authority was appointed there was not enough time to find facts, indict and try the case, leaving the therefore un-tried and un-convicted insurrectionist (that deeply wounded and extremely cunning adversary) home free.

Bad Luck: You didn't get to be President until you were 79 years old; that makes you 82 this election year; it is functionally impossible to make a convincing case that your remaining lifespan is highly likely to be the four years of another term in office.

Bad Luck: Kirsten Sinema and Joe Mansion were part of your excruciatingly thin Senate majority. Since they both depended on big business for their office they were unwilling to vote for the most sweeping, and most needed advancement of the social contract since the New Deal; had it passed your place in history and your second term would have been locked; lacking passage, you are totally subject to fate's whimsy and the amount and nature of your luck and the number and quality of your decisions.

Bad Decision: Staying mostly out of sight during term one.  Like Reagan, you should have gone to the nation every time the opposition lie machine invented a new lie or blocked another policy; instead you stayed mute in the White House. That harmed not only your strength of position on a daily basis throughout your term, it has also cumulatively left you, at best, vaguely defined; that is not a good place for a second term aspirant to be. 

Bad Decision: Choosing Kamala Harris as running mate (better could have been Abrams or Buttigieg).

Bad Luck: Kamala Harris has not caught on. That leaves you needing to argue that not only are you likely to live out a second term, or, if you don't you've got Harry Truman in the wings waiting to pick up the baton.  That leaves you talking about abstract hypotheticals instead of meat and potatoes.

Bad Decision: Getting out of Afghanistan without planning for withdrawal with at least Operation Overlord level meticulous planning. The buck still stops with you. That meant that anything short of Swiss watch perfection in withdrawing would be a disaster that you could ill afford to waste time talking about. But that's what you got.

Bad Luck: Twenty years of money, military training and physical, social and financial infrastructure investment collapsed like a house of cards in the face of the return of the Taliban. Here luck intercepts decision: betting on the come because of the investment of all that blood and treasure was a disaster.

Bad Decision: Unconditional support of Netanyahu in his response to the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis.

Bad Luck: An otherwise potentially good decision didn't have a chance to really be good because it depended upon the irrational, trapped-animal actions of Netanyahu, a criminal domestically and internationally.

Bad Luck: The republican party has become a mafia-like thing with a godfather-like thing pulling all its strings and making government impossible in the United States.

Bad Luck: An immigration agreement that was a massive step forward for the Country was killed in the house of representatives by the tentacles of that mafia so they could retain a dysfunctional immigration system as a campaign issue.

Bad Luck: A near majority of the American People have entered "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity".

********************************************************************

So what to do?

The real answer is I just don't know.

But the only thing I can think of is that you and yours need to figure out damn fast who in the Democratic Party can actually win in 2024.

This must be not only fast, it must also be secret.

And the chosen one needs to be vetted with intensity such as history has never seen; no late breaking surprises can be allowed; no more mistakes can happen.

Of course the Convention needs to be contrived: there should be no announcement of your intention to step down; it must look like an old-fashioned smoke-filled room dog and cat fight with the chosen one coming out nominated.

Of course the narrative of what has happened and how it happened needs to be created and written and agreed to by all the players substantially ahead of time, like right now.

And of course, its promulgation needs to be planned at the level of a streaming service big-buck gamble: every hour/day/week and month of the plot must be flawlessly scripted, understood, rehearsed and incrementally rolled out.

Americans love political drama.

A brilliantly contrived political drama can still defeat donnie the dildo and his mafia infrastructure.

So get crackin'.

We can still win this thing.

And you can join President Washington as someone who knew when to step down.

For the good of our country. 

So There You Have It: The Debate Is A Disaster

 If you don't want donnie as president.

The disaster has three faces.

Face one is Biden's total ineffectiveness; he has even fallen into stuttering; he hasn't won a point on anything he has said; if I were undecided, I would see no reason to vote for him.

Face two is that Biden's demeanor has documented what many have feared; he is too old.

Face three is the most un-nerving face: trump has lied, invented and asserted, no reality to be seen in the last hour and a half; but it has sounded really good; maybe we are in a post truth, post fact, post reality world.

Some Thoughts Previously Posted? I Can't Remember.

Einstein said that E = mc2.

There are a bunch of things this equation says and a lot more that it implies.

Mainly, though, it says that there is a huge amount of energy trapped in mass and light.

There was an instance, we are told, when there was nothing and nothing was everything all trapped in a nothing called a singularity.

In due course the singularity achieved its destiny: it became everything.

An uncontrolled variable generated by this occurrence was where everything was.

At the point of nothing becoming everything, everything was very close to where it had just previously been nothing.

Not exactly, but close.

But that was a fleeting condition.

The energy released by nothing becoming everything brought a new condition into being: speed.

Speed drove newly minted everything from wherever it had just not been to where it was about to be, and would continue to about to be for …

For what?

We call it time.

Time came into being as a byproduct of nothing becoming everything.

It was the measure of – something – but it could be described by knowing where everything was then and where everything was now.

Then and now were words not known before the singularity had become everything.

Then and now are words that let humans sense the thing they call time.

Since then, time, once sensed, time has been represented with a thing humans call a clock.

But you can’t see time with a clock.

You can only show a representation of its assumed existence: clicks and clangs.

Those are not time; they are just a way of indicating that something we really don’t understand and really can’t describe does in fact exist.

And that it is advancing.

To some end point.

That’s strange.

But not as strange as light.

Light is a wave.

But it is made up of particles.

And it’s really, really fast.

And that speed is the upper limit of possible speed, we are told.

So why is energy equal to a given mass times the speed of light squared?

Speed of light, times speed of light is exponentially faster than the speed of light, isn’t it?

So how does that work?

It works kinda like the horror that most of human-kind have for the concept of a godless universe.

When one admits that the mayhem meted out by human-kind over our tenure on earth has been meted out under the banner “Deus Vult”, or “Gott Mit Uns”, and others in spirit similar to those two, it becomes difficult to say that we need a supreme being to bring out our kinder, gentler selves.

Someone needs to test the hypothesis that we might not kill each other if we left the Supreme Being out of our frame of reference and substituted instead the idea that all we need is the will to treat others as we ourselves would choose to be treated.

 I think someone did that once.

It didn’t go well for him.

So I guess that’s a moot hypothesis.

And then there is that quantum thing.

Einstein said something like "at the outer edges of my equations things get squirrely” - or something to that effect.

He was talking about the fact that things can be, simultaneously, in more than one place at the same time.

Remember, however, that time is pretty slippery, so that observation, if true, may not mean a whole lot.

These shards of brightly colored glass from the great question jar of the cosmos that has fallen – shattered – to the floor, are the pieces from which I have created the mosaic of the story about to be told. 

Angry Is Not Effective

 I finally realized what I find so dysfunctional about how the president keeps presenting himself.

He never is anything but a shouting angry old man.

I don't think if he tried to change to a more Jack Kennedy or Barack Obama demeanor he would win any more voters, but at least that change would eliminate the appearance that he is a cranky old man in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

I guess the problem is that, when he tries to simmer down, he just sounds mumblingly incoherent, and old.

So, his handlers must have decided, being the "get off my lawn" guy, is the best presentation.

Given some of the stuff I have seen about trump's mental acuity, I think we are in for an interesting drooling contest.

Too bad the world's wellbeing is so directly affected.

Couple Quotes

 

From The Hill, in relation to the real possibility that donnie will be under house arrest after being sentenced on 11July 2024 (several days later the MAGA hoard will nominate him to the presidency of the united states of america):

"For Democrats, it would present an obvious opportunity to underscore their case that the former president is manifestly unfit for high office. Eighty-five percent of Democrats approved of Trump’s conviction in the New York case, according to an Associated Press (AP)/NORC poll released earlier this week.

"But a Trump-free Milwaukee convention {recently identified by the dildo as a 'horrible city'} could be equally energizing for the former president’s MAGA base who fervently believe he has been victimized {'crucified' is the operative word utilized by that christian hoard}. Only 15 percent of Republicans approved of the recent conviction, according to the same AP poll".

From George Washington in a letter to Lafayette in 1788:

"There cannot, in my judgement, be the least danger that the President will by any practicable intrigue ever be able to continue himself one moment in office, much less perpetuate himself in it; but [in modern parlance substitute 'except' for 'but'] in the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity; and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes".

From Salon

 These words in an article by Mike Lofgren caught my eye.

They pretty well sum up what is wrong with us and why things are the way that they are.

"What is a belief, anyway? It can be defined, approximately, in terms of the mental perception that something is true based on generally accepted evidence or established standards of logic. But belief also has a secondary meaning: an attitude, disposition or emotional commitment that has nothing to do with facts or logic. It is a stance that can be firmly maintained regardless of evidence to the contrary and, taken to an extreme, becomes the willful suspension of critical thinking.

"In contrast to the doubt and uncertainty that assail most people when considering complex matters, the dogmatic vehemence with which adherents of various fringe ideas often advocate their case can tempt us to conclude that an “untrue” belief is held more strongly than a “true” one. But this certitude {in "untrue" beliefs} can only be sustained if it is never questioned, because the leaders of authoritarian movements that propagate these beliefs instinctively know their doctrines are brittle and cannot survive open debate.

"That is the reason fundamentalist Christians have built an entire subculture of home-schooling, Bible colleges, retreats and a vast body of approved literature to reinforce their dogma and avoid contact with contaminating ideas; conservatives have done much the same with their Fox News bubble. Since all authoritarian movements are founded on obtaining followers of weak character and low intellectual curiosity, and sustaining them within that information bubble, an outsider challenging even absurd doctrines will have a difficult task".

Ira Glass Fills In For Cronkite: Come Retribution

George Washington said it in 1788, in a letter to Lafayette concerning the newly promulgated Constitution of the United states of America: "There cannot, in my judgement, be the least danger that the President will by any practicable intrigue ever be able to continue himself one moment in office, much less perpetuate himself in it; but [in modern parlance substitute 'except' for 'but'] in the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity; and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes".

MAGA is "in the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity".

They are "a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master ...".

And now "he comes".

And he's not even smart.

In fact he's an idiot.

I took this picture of a centuries old message pillar in Rome in 2017.

So, the world knew it then.

But this is now.

And the idiot has turned.

As worms are known to do.

He has Project 25.

No more Mister Stupid Guy.

And nothing is more frightening than a dumb shit trying to be smart.

Remember Fredo?

But Fredo has taken control of an American political party and the gloves are off.

So what does that mean for everyday garden variety Americans?

Ira answers that question.

Where are you going to go?

After November 5?

A Perfect Trilogy

I just finished watching the last episode of season three of The Newshour.

It ended where it had to, but more would have been welcome.

Maybe a second trilogy is in order.   



Sent from my iPhone

What Didn't You Understand About This?

Rot is the center, is the activating force, is the real reason that an incompetent pretender to mafia bossism can run the press, the judiciary, the election system, and the Constitution of the United Staes of America ragged.

The rot is a lot of our people.

I encounter them in bars, and they think I look like one of them, so they immediately assume I am a member of their farcical fantasy football clique; so I have some idea of how they think.

And that's the point.

They don't think.

They can't think.

They all have been beset with some brain worm that has eaten most of what the rest of us think with.

Here is what I said a few days ago, that I would have expected, and surely had hoped would get a lot of traffic.

But it didn't.

So here it is again.

I god damn think - I god damn believe - that Washington called trump out in 1788.

And I god damn want America to at least think about what Washington said.

And I'd like more than 10 page views.

***************************************************************

For some time now I have been having a vague realization of some kind of clarity that has been forming in my conception of the MAGA crowd; it crystallized recently.  

MAGA is not even remotely a philosophical or political grouping.  

It can best be described as a big drunken tailgate party that got massively out of control and doesn't know what to do next now that the beer has run out.  

The main attraction to being MAGA seems to be being seen and being heard and perceiving one another as influencers.

And being hunted down and ridiculed by Jordan Klepper.

And contributing to donnie's legal defense fund.

And the hats, sweatshirts and MAGA/trump certified Bible are all really big attractions.

It's just too bad that the fabric of our nation and the world's dependency upon that fabric will finally come un-woven with donnie nominally in charge again.

George Washington once alluded to a condition that he considered, if it ever were ever to occur, fatally terminal for the health of our Republic.  

In a letter to Lafayette in 1788 he said that the only way the office of president could be transformed into a dictator or monarch would be if the people had entered "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity".

And he said additionally, "and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes."

Looks like Washington, 236 years ago, saw donnie and MAGA with clarity.

"Corrupted morals and political depravity" have worked their way through the system and have become dominant.

And donnie is going to win and "it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes."

In any event, he has no quarter from which to come, he being all over the place all the time.

But his morons, those of "corrupted morals and political depravity" love him sans quarter.

I can hear Washington as he plants his seal in the hot wax on the letter to Lafayette, "Oh what's the use?"

Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty

 donnie the dildo is guilty ... etc, etc etc.

But his 75 million fellow morons will still vote for him.

So get ready for a lot of cell-side chats.

From the dildo.

Henri IV In The Snow

 

I took this picture one morning when I woke up pretty early and found it to be snowing - really snowing - in Paris.

I don't know why I took this picture, but I'm glad that I did.

Henri IV was one of those kings that only come along almost never.

But they occasionally do come along, and have come along, and sometimes they even change things.

For the better,

Henri built Pont Neuf, and that's better.

Than not having Pont Neuf would have been.

If there had not been or were no Pont Neuf, I would not have any aspirations for a post death ritual.

After which, dinner at la Citrouille.

And, here and now, that sort of aspiration looms larger and larger.

But I guess I am getting ahead of things.

So:

Here's a little snippet about Henri.

Henry IV is famously associated with the saying, “I want there to be no peasant in my realm so poor that he will not have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.”

Pretty advanced for the sixteenth century.

That from the King, yet.

Too bad that Henri was assassinated by a religious nut (Henri promulgated the Edict of Nantes and god fearing Catholics hated him for granting religious freedom to other persuasions) before he was able to do all the good that he probably had on his mind.

That was in 1610.

Over 400 years ago.

 

Linguistic Horseshit

 I watch PBS NewsHour most evenings.

I am really tired of hearing interviews of Biden Administration spokespeople who dance around, obfuscate and, when pressed with horrifying facts, justify the obvious actual horror: Israel is now and has been for the totality of its time of return to Palestine, post WWII, dedicated to wiping out, or criminally diasporing, the indigenous population.

And - the obfuscating interviews notwithstanding - the Israelis are frighteningly, inexorably, efficient in achieving their goal. 

The verbal gymnastics deployed to deliver the US's indefensible message every NewsHour are boring, tiring and insulting to anyone with a brain.

Or a heart.

Or, more unlikely, a soul.

 

You Say Mumbo I Say Jumbo

 I recently had a conversation with MS Copilot. 

Here it is.

I'm posting it without edit or refinement.

*************************************************

When did the concept of a triune god enter Christian theology?

The concept of the Trinity in Christian belief emerged over time and underwent significant development. Here’s a brief overview:

1. Origins and Early Views:

o The word “trinity” itself does not appear in the Bible. However, the concept was gradually formulated by early Christians to express their belief in the oneness of God while accounting for their experiences of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

o In ancient Jewish monotheism, worship focused on one God, but there were also other divine beings (archangels, angels, etc.). Early Christians innovatively claimed that Jesus of Nazareth was God himself, who humbled himself by taking on human form.

o The resurrection of Jesus and the experiences of the disciples played a crucial role in shaping this understanding.

2. Paul’s Vision and Isaiah’s Prophecy:

o Paul, a Jewish Pharisee, had a vision of Jesus in heaven and became an apostle to the Gentiles. However, the idea of God’s messiah suffering and dying on a cross was challenging for both Jews and Gentiles.

o Early Christians turned to the “suffering servant” passages in the book of Isaiah (specifically Isaiah 53-54). Isaiah described a faithful servant who suffered, was tortured, and killed but was ultimately raised from the dead by God.

o Early Christians interpreted this prophecy as referring to Jesus of Nazareth, whom they now commonly referred to as the Christ (Greek for “messiah”).

3. First Council of Nicaea (325 CE):

o The formalization of the Trinity concept occurred at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE.

o This council aimed to address theological disputes, including the nature of Jesus and his relationship to God.

o The Nicene Creed, which emerged from this council, affirmed the belief in the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit as three distinct persons within one Godhead.

o The term “consubstantial” was used to express their co-equality and eternal communion.

4. Acceptance and Development:

o While the concept was introduced by Tertullian in the late 2nd century, it gained wider acceptance in the 4th and 5th centuries.

o The Trinity expresses that God is one being composed of three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In summary, the concept of the Trinity evolved over centuries, combining theological reflection, biblical interpretation, and the experiences of early Christians. It remains a central doctrine in Christian theology today12. If you’d like to explore further, feel free to ask!

You

Isn't that a step backwards into polytheism?

Copilot

The concept of the Trinity in Christian theology is indeed a complex and unique one. While it involves three distinct persons—God the Father, Jesus Christ (the Son), and the Holy Spirit—it is essential to understand that the Trinity is not polytheism. Let me explain further:

1. Monotheism vs. Polytheism:

o Monotheism is the belief in one supreme, all-powerful God. In monotheistic religions, this God is the sole creator and sustainer of the universe.

o Polytheism, on the other hand, involves the worship of multiple gods or deities, each with distinct powers and attributes.

2. The Trinity and Monotheism:

o The doctrine of the Trinity asserts that there is only one God (consistent with monotheism) but that this one God exists eternally in three persons.

o Each person of the Trinity is fully God, yet they are not separate gods. They share the same divine essence.

o The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct in their roles and relationships, but they are inseparable and co-eternal.

3. Analogies and Limitations:

o Analogies are often used to explain the Trinity, but they all fall short because the Trinity is a mystery beyond human comprehension.

o Some common analogies include:

 Three-in-One: Like water existing in three forms (solid, liquid, gas), the Trinity exists as three persons in one God.

 Sunlight: The sun (source), sunlight (emanation), and warmth (effect) are distinct yet inseparable.

 Family: A family unit (father, mother, child) reflects unity in diversity.

o However, these analogies have limitations and can lead to misunderstandings if taken too literally.

4. Historical Context:

o The early Christians grappled with how to express their faith in Jesus Christ while maintaining monotheism.

o The Nicene Creed, formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, clarified the relationship between the Father and the Son.

o The Holy Spirit’s role was further defined in later creeds.

5. Unity and Diversity:

o The Trinity emphasizes both unity (one God) and diversity (three persons).

o It highlights the relational nature of God—Father, Son, and Spirit in eternal communion.

o The Trinity is not about dividing God but understanding the richness of divine existence.

In summary, the Trinity is a theological construct that seeks to reconcile the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with the foundational belief in one God. While it may seem paradoxical, it is not polytheism. Rather, it reflects the mystery and depth of God’s nature as revealed in Christian scripture and tradition . If you have further questions or would like to explore this topic, feel free to ask!

You

kinda sounds like typical religious mumbo jumbo.

Copilot

I understand that religious concepts can sometimes seem complex or mysterious. The Trinity, in particular, is a theological topic that has been debated and explored for centuries. While it may appear intricate, it reflects the attempt to reconcile the divine revelation experienced by early Christians with their foundational belief in one God. Let’s break it down a bit more:

1. Unity and Diversity:

o The Trinity emphasizes both unity and diversity within the nature of God.

o It asserts that there is only one God, but this one God exists eternally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

o These persons are inseparable and co-eternal, sharing the same divine essence.

2. Historical Context:

o Early Christians grappled with how to express their faith in Jesus Christ while maintaining monotheism.

o The Nicene Creed, formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, clarified the relationship between the Father and the Son.

o Later creeds further defined the role of the Holy Spirit.

3. Analogies and Limitations:

o Analogies (like water existing in different forms or the sunlight analogy) are used to explain the Trinity, but they all fall short due to the mystery involved.

o The Trinity is not about dividing God but understanding the richness of divine existence.

4. Personal Reflection:

o While theological concepts can indeed seem complex, they often reflect the depth of human experience and our attempts to understand the divine.

o If you have further questions or would like to explore this topic from a different angle, feel free to ask!

Remember that discussions about religious beliefs can be deeply personal, and people approach them with varying perspectives. If there’s anything else you’d like to discuss or explore, feel free to share, and I’ll do my best to provide a thoughtful response! 😊

You

The trinity doesn't seem complex - I learned how it is supposed to work, and totally understood it when I was 13 years old. It doesn't seem mysterious at all. Mysterious is what s involved in quantum entanglement. The trinity just sounds bogus.

Copilot

I appreciate your perspective! You’re right that the concept of the Trinity can vary in how people perceive its complexity. While some find it straightforward, others may struggle with its theological implications. Let’s explore this further:

1. Simplicity and Depth:

o It’s fascinating how different individuals perceive religious concepts. For some, the Trinity is a fundamental and easily understood doctrine.

o However, its apparent simplicity can mask its profound implications. The idea of three distinct persons within one God challenges our usual understanding of identity and unity.

2. Quantum Entanglement:

o Quantum entanglement, as you mentioned, is indeed mysterious and mind-boggling. It’s a phenomenon where particles become interconnected in ways that defy classical physics.

o In quantum mechanics, entangled particles remain connected even when separated by vast distances, and their properties are instantly correlated.

o The mystery lies in how information seems to travel faster than the speed of light, violating classical causality.

3. Theological Exploration:

o The Trinity, while not as scientifically enigmatic as quantum entanglement, remains a rich area of theological exploration.

o It invites us to consider the nature of God, the relationship between the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, and the mystery of divine unity and diversity.

o The early Christian theologians grappled with these questions, leading to creeds and councils that sought to articulate this mystery.

4. Personal Beliefs:

o Ultimately, religious beliefs are deeply personal. Some find comfort and meaning in the Trinity, while others may find it challenging.

o It’s essential to approach these topics with openness and respect for diverse perspectives.

In summary, both the Trinity and quantum entanglement offer intriguing avenues for exploration—whether in theology or physics. If there’s anything else you’d like to discuss or delve into, feel free to share, and I’ll be here to engage in conversation! 😊

Oh What's The Use?

For some time now I have been having a vague realization of some kind of clarity that has been forming in my conception of the MAGA crowd; it crystallized recently.  

MAGA is not even remotely a philosophical or political grouping.  

It can best be described as a big drunken tailgate party that got massively out of control and doesn't know what to do next now that the beer has run out.  

The main attraction to being MAGA seems to be being seen and being heard and perceiving each other as influencers.

And being hunted down and ridiculed by Jordan Klepper.

And contributing to donnie's legal defense fund.

And the hats, sweatshirts and MAGA/trump certified Bible are all really big attractions.

It's just too bad that the fabric of our nation and the world's dependency upon that fabric will finally come un-woven with donnie nominally in charge again.

George Washington once alluded to a condition that he considered, if it ever were ever to occur, fatally terminal for the health of our Republic.  

In a letter to Lafayette in 1788 he said that the only way the office of president could be transformed into a dictator or monarch would be if the people had entered "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity".

And he said additionally, "and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes."

Looks like Washington, 236 years ago, saw donnie and MAGA with clarity.

I think he also muttered as he was writing to Lafayette, "Oh what's the use?"

MAGA Moments

I recently had a conversation with my barber. 

I was really careful, because it's unwise to argue much with someone who is standing behind you with a razor. 

He said recently how bad everything is with Biden as president.  

I asked him to elaborate. 

He said that gasoline prices are way up, and we are running out of oil.  

I said that I was pretty sure that, starting in Obama's administration the US has been a major crude oil exporter and number one in the world in export of refined petroleum products.  

I said I doubted that we would be a major exporter if we were running out of oil at home.  

Then he said that Biden had canceled that pipeline.  

I asked him what pipeline (I couldn't remember the name of the one I thought he was talking about, and he didn't know).  

So I said that I thought it was the one that was going to carry Canadian tar sand oil to Houston for export to the world market.  

I said I didn't think that exporting more oil would make US gasoline prices any lower, and that, in any event, the product being exported was Canada's product not the US's and that, being tar sand based, that oil was a massive contributor to pollution at every stage of its existence.  

We started talking about cars.

Independence Day In The UK?

 

If I needed evidence more than that already copiously afoot in the land, I got it today.

Rishi Sunak has managed to outlast a head of lettuce, but barely.

And his grasp of facts, issues and, most important, symbols have been lacking since he was plucked from the patch a little over a ear ago.

Today we learned "UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a snap general election for July 4 in a statement outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening, as his Conservative Party faces an uphill struggle to extend its 14 years in power."

It should be only hours before Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Prime Minister makes this announcement:

"And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the UK declared in one voice: ‘We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day!'"

Vicious Slander Of Our Ancestors

 

The Curtain Is Descending

 On America.

And we did it to ourselves.

A Letter To Joe Biden

 Dear Mr. President

I am about week older than you and a deeply progressive Democrat.

I understand and dread the perils of another donnie the dildo presidency.

So I am writing you this letter.

Because, in spite of all your good intentions, your honor, integrity and your high qualifications for the office you hold, and your many achievements as President, you are likely to fail the most rudimentary test of presidential greatness: election to a second term.

You have made another donnie presidency nearly inevitable.

And we can't have that.

The fabric of our nation and the world's dependency upon that fabric will come un-woven with the great orange idiot flailing aimlessly around again.

But a variety of problems, mostly of your making, have gotten you and the rest of us to the brink of America becoming donnieLand.

And that is not good.

In fact, that is really, really, really bad.

George Washington, in a letter to Lafayette in 1788 made an observation that sums up the problem you have managed to crystalize.

He said, "There cannot, in my judgement, be the least danger that the President will by any practicable intrigue ever be able to continue himself one moment in office, much less perpetuate himself in it; but [in modern parlance substitute 'except' for 'but'] in the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity; and even then there is as much danger that any other species of domination would prevail. Though, when a people have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes".

The fact that seventy-four million Americans voted for trump in 2020, and even more appear to be ready to do so again seems to indicate that "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity" have arrived in America.

And you have let this last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity be the operative factor in who wins, probably the last presidential election in America.

Why is that the operative factor?

Here's why.

As you are acutely aware, a handful of states actually elect the president, not the population of the Unites States.

As was proven in 2016, when the trump campaign's surgical use of the Manafort/Kilimnik Data Base in five of those states induced enough black voters to pass on voting that all five of those states went to donnie, and with them, the presidency.

Because of bad luck and bad decisions, you have likely lost significant tranches of voters in the various groups that constitute your base; that, in those five, six or seven states, will likely have the same effect on your chances of winning those electors as did the Manafort/Kilimnik Data Base in 2016 against Clinton.

Add to that the widespread republican voter repression actions across our nation and you have an unwinnable contest.

Once decent people have been alienated, or winnowed, enough of the "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity" are left to tip the balance.

donnie wins; you lose.

And that is not good.

Here, in random order, are what I think have been some of your bad decisions and some of your bad luck.

These things are all having a fatally adverse effect on your chances in the upcoming campaign and election.

Where there is a relationship - bad luck induced by bad decision, or bad decision as a reaction to bad luck, I have made the two immediately adjacent in the list.

The problem with them is that they all have deep influence on your current plight, and they can't be un-done.

Those dice have already been cast.

They can't be un-cast.

*******************************************************************

Bad Luck: In trump's second impeachment, by verdict day in 2021, the republican party had become so rotten that only seven of the republican senators voted the obvious guilty verdict; that left a deeply wounded and extremely cunning adversary on the playing field ready for violence and mayhem.

Bad Decision: The attorney General you appointed looked good but hasn't panned out.

Bad Luck: The Attorney General you appointed let crucial months elapse before appointing investigative and indictive authority to be brought to the most serious question in the history of our Republic: did the ex-president plan and incite an insurrection? By the time that authority was appointed there was not enough time to find facts, indict and try the case, leaving the therefore un-tried and un-convicted insurrectionist (that deeply wounded and extremely cunning adversary) home free.

Bad Luck: You didn't get to be President until you were 79 years old; that makes you 82 this election year; it is functionally impossible to make a convincing case that your remaining lifespan is highly likely to be the four years of another term in office.

Bad Luck: Kirsten Sinema and Joe Mansion were part of your excruciatingly thin Senate majority. Since they both depended on big business for their office they were unwilling to vote for the most sweeping, and most needed advancement of the social contract since the New Deal; had it passed your place in history and your second term would have been locked; lacking passage, you are totally subject to fate's whimsy and the amount and nature of your luck and the number and quality of your decisions.

Bad Decision: Staying mostly out of sight during term one.  Like Reagan, you should have gone to the nation every time the opposition lie machine invented a new lie or blocked another policy; instead you stayed mute in the White House. That harmed not only your strength of position on a daily basis throughout your term, it has also cumulatively left you, at best, vaguely defined; that is not a good place for a second term aspirant to be. 

Bad Decision: Choosing Kamala Harris as running mate (better could have been Abrams or Buttigieg).

Bad Luck: Kamala Harris has not caught on. That leaves you needing to argue that not only are you likely to live out a second term, or, if you don't you've got Harry Truman in the wings waiting to pick up the baton.  That leaves you talking about abstract hypotheticals instead of meat and potatoes.

Bad Decision: Getting out of Afghanistan without planning for withdrawal with at least Operation Overlord level meticulous planning. The buck still stops with you. That meant that anything short of Swiss watch perfection in withdrawing would be a disaster that you could ill afford to waste time talking about. But that's what you got.

Bad Luck: Twenty years of money, military training and physical, social and financial infrastructure investment collapsed like a house of cards in the face of the return of the Taliban. Here luck intercepts decision: betting on the come because of the investment of all that blood and treasure was a disaster.

Bad Decision: Unconditional support of Netanyahu in his response to the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis.

Bad Luck: An otherwise potentially good decision didn't have a chance to really be good because it depended upon the irrational, trapped-animal actions of Netanyahu, a criminal domestically and internationally.

Bad Luck: The republican party has become a mafia-like thing with a godfather-like thing pulling all its strings and making government impossible in the United States.

Bad Luck: An immigration agreement that was a massive step forward for the Country was killed in the house of representatives by the tentacles of that mafia so they could retain a dysfunctional immigration system as a campaign issue.

Bad Luck: A near majority of the American People have entered "the last stage of corrupted morals and political depravity".

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So what to do?

The real answer is I just don't know.

But the only thing I can think of is that you and yours need to figure out damn fast who in the Democratic Party can actually win in 2024.

This must be not only fast, it must also be secret.

And the chosen one needs to be vetted with intensity such as history has never seen; no late breaking surprises can be allowed; no more mistakes can happen.

Of course the Convention needs to be contrived: there should be no announcement of your intention to step down; it must look like an old-fashioned smoke-filled room dog and cat fight with the chosen one coming out nominated.

Of course the narrative of what has happened and how it happened needs to be created and written and agreed to by all the players substantially ahead of time, like right now.

And of course, its promulgation needs to be planned at the level of a streaming service big-buck gamble: every hour/day/week and month of the plot must be flawlessly scripted, understood, rehearsed and incrementally rolled out.

Americans love political drama.

A brilliantly contrived political drama can still defeat donnie the dildo and his mafia infrastructure.

So get crackin'.

We can still win this thing.

And you can join President Washington as someone who knew when to step down.

For the good of our country.