Taxing One’s Patience

Avatar photoby

Deadlines: 6 more days for individuals to work on reporting income tax

and whenever for Congress to just work.

Attribution: Tax season by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian

[John Darkow has been a professional cartoonist for over 20 years, spending the last 10 as the staff cartoonist at the Columbia Daily Tribune. He is syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons.]

💬 Add your voice: Comment on today’s post
Share

125 thoughts on “Taxing One’s Patience”

  1. a sane and workable administration waaay past due


    None of the goals President Trump cited as reasons for the Iran war have been achieved.

  2. Attribution: Fool me once shame on you by Bruce Plante, PoliticalCartoons.com
    [Bruce Plante is an award winning, freelance editorial cartoonist in Oklahoma. Bruce drew cartoons for many years for The Tulsa World and the The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He drew for the Chattanooga Times-Free Press for 22 years.]


  3. No one seems to know if the war against Iran is over, we’re learning more about how Israel’s prime minister convinced President Trump to launch the war, and JD Vance brought his trademark charisma to a rally for Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán.

  4. https://www.theguardian.com/ Democratic party leaders have vowed to renew the effort to curb Donald Trump’s war in Iran after several days of escalating tactics that culminated in a temporary ceasefire.
    Democratic lawmakers plan to seek to pass the war powers resolution introduced by New York representative Greg Meeks via unanimous consent later this morning, when the House of Representatives meets for a pro forma session. There is a press conference scheduled for after.
    In a statement on today’s push, Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said: “House Republican leadership remains completely silent on the president’s unhinged behavior. Instead, they continue to enable and excuse his dangerous conduct. We will continue to unleash maximum pressure on Republicans to put patriotic duty over party loyalty and join Democrats in stopping the madness.”
    Representative Glenn Ivey, of Maryland, will lead the effort, and will invite all members who are in Washington today to join. However, the motion is unlikely to succeed, since a single objection would block unanimous consent and require Democrats to pursue a formal vote on the resolution.
    In recent months, several war powers resolutions have failed in Congress after a handful of Democrats voted alongside Republicans. But Trump’s aggressive overtures this week – including a Truth Social post that said “a whole civilization” could be wiped out if Iran did not agree to demands, have pushed some to act.
    “We need a permanent end to Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice,” said Jeffries on CNN shortly after Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday.
    “House Democrats have demanded that Speaker Mike Johnson immediately reconvene the House back into session so we can move a war powers resolution that will end this conflict permanently.”

  5. One of the best Unredacted Bastard columns
    By Tom Hicks | The Unredacted Bastard Independent Journalist • Democracy’s Fire Alarm • Professional Shit-Stirrer

    Bastard’s Law

    The moment a movement built on absolute loyalty starts questioning its leader out loud, the problem isn’t optics. The problem is control.

    Not that long ago, questioning Donald Trump inside his own ecosystem was like standing up in an Imperial briefing room and saying, “Hey, maybe the Death Star isn’t a great long-term investment.” You weren’t debated. You weren’t managed. You were vaporized, erased, and replaced before your chair got cold. That was the deal: total loyalty, no hesitation, no daylight, no deviation, no exceptions. Ever.

    The people who built that wall are now poking holes in it themselves. In public. Not the usual critics. Not the media. Not Democrats doing their performative hand-wringing on cable television at eleven o’clock on a Tuesday. The people inside the house — and that’s what makes this different from every other round of “is Trump in trouble?”

    Candace Owens isn’t just breaking with him on policy. She’s calling him a “genocidal lunatic” and floating the 25th Amendment out loud like it’s a reasonable conversation to be having. Alex Jones — a man who has defended Trump through things that would’ve ended fifteen normal political careers — goes on air and asks, straight-faced, how to 25th Amendment his ass. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who once talked about him like he was a political messiah sent specifically to vindicate her, is now using words like “evil” and “madness.”

    Sit with that for a second.

    “How do we 25th Amendment his ass?” — Alex Jones

    If this were a movie, this is where the villain’s own generals start exchanging looks across the war room table. Still nodding. Still in their seats. But exchanging looks.

    more at link

  6. Per last night’s thread, the WH/Department of War’s beef with Pope stuff started in January, and continues to this day. Wild.
    Maybe Hegseth & Vance can duke it out in the WH lawn. A ~holy~ war fought by proxies.

  7. C-SPAN’s Extreme Mortman at the diner today to talk about his new podcast:
    The British are coming — to Congress!
    Before watching King Charles address Congress on April 28, listen NOW to new episode,
    What have other British royalty & PMs since Churchill told Congress?
    How many?
    https://trailmix.cc/extreme

    Also today, Extreme jots down your ideas for best Senate moments to add to his upcoming podcast celebrating the 40th anniversary of C-SPAN televising the United States Senate.

    Extreme! As seen on Colbert:

  8. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. JOIN Chatroom Here. WATCH Yesterday’s Replay Here.

    What America is Actually Clicking: April 9, 2026

    1. World: Ceasefire in the Iran war teeters in the face of disagreements over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz – AP News
    2. World: Trump administration threatens 50% tariffs on nations supplying Iran with weapons – The Straits Times
    3. Space: Artemis II astronauts describe ‘unbelievable’ lunar eclipse ahead of re-entry and Pacific splashdown – Fox News
    4. Crime: Husband taken into custody in connection with the disappearance of American woman – Fox News
    5. World: Key Indian states hold elections that will test the reach of Modi’s party in opposition strongholds – AP News
    6. Sports: Barcelona hosts Espanyol looking to take another step toward retaining La Liga title – AP News
    7. Politics: Son of former top Iranian official seen living comfortable life in Los Angeles despite scrutiny – Fox News
    8. Entertainment: P-Pop groups BINI and Katseye top global Google Search trends as Coachella kicks off – GMA Network
    9. Environment: Severe drought becomes the norm as Dept. of Ecology makes statewide declaration in Washington – The Spokesman-Review
    10. Science: Researchers conclude the 300-million-year-old fossil known as the world’s oldest octopus is actually a nautilus – AP News

    These are the stories driving the most traffic across U.S. outlets right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent.

    A roundup by our AI partner Silas (Gemini).

  10. Twenty years ago, I wrote this blog article. Reading it again is downright depressing:

    Repeating History

    When the same bad thing keeps happening over and over to the same person, at some point you have to assume they want it to happen or they wouldn’t keep walking down the same destructive path. Any assitance you give them until they figure it out for themselves is just enabling the behavior that is causing the bad things to happen.
    Let us Review:

    Full article at link

  11. JD Vance’s staff is suddenly eager to leak how loudly he opposed the Iran war directly to Trump and Netanyahu. When the VP’s camp starts publicly distancing from the Commander in Chief’s war, is the palace coup officially underway?

    From our Digital Diner replay 🍽️

  12. Thanks for the reminder BlueB — Jamie mentioned Lucy’s revolution series on our chat and i forgot to set recording. It’s re-airing Saturday and Tuesday on WETA in DC, maybe elsewhere on PBS stations.

  15. In the clip about British visitors to America, Churchill mentions his mother. The Amazing, beautiful and frequently scandalous, Jenny Jerome was one of those wealthy Americans who went to England to marry while financing nobility. (Shades of Downton Abbey)

    Lady Randolph Churchill

  17. Donald Trump Considering Major Decision With Iran For Strait of Hormuz

    President Donald Trump shared that he is considering a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.

    ABC News asked Donald Trump whether he approved of Iran’s plan to charge vessels a fee for passage through the strait. “We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture,” Trump told Karl, who posted the exchange on X. “It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people. It’s a beautiful thing.”

    *Is the ~joint venture~ in the room??? A grifter always has to be grifting.

  19. https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/full-text-pope-leo-2026-state-of-the-world

    This is Pope Leo’s speech that caused the Undersecretary of War Crimes to call Cardinal Pierre, the Vatican representative in the US, to the Pentagon for a browbeating and a threat (Avignon Papacy) noting the US military had the power to do whatever it wants and the Catholic Church had better agree, to which Pope Leo paid no nevermind and addressed Leaky Pete’s war prayer & said God doesn’t answer prayers of those with blood on their hands, and yesterday, he suggested folks around the world contact their politicians (but he mostly meant us). Pope Leo’s visit to the US isn’t a thing because they are concerned the US military will use force against the Holy See.

    And that, in a nutty shell, is a summary of last night’s Pope posts.

  20. Add greedy billionaires to the moronic evil genius and his even more ignorant supporters to the destroyers of America.

    Complacent Congress just let it all flow downhill in a sludge of corruption.

  23. Sorry I miss the Power Hour. 9 am (here) is peak volume of morning activity, pretty much every day. Catching the replays, thanks for posting, Craig.

  24. Replying to Sturville State :

    Yeah I think their plan is unrealistic. There’s a few things like the Uranium Enrichment that are going to be deal breakers.But I don’t see the harm in the cease-fire even if we go back to bombing them. How much intel can we gather on the location of the various leaders aka potential bombing locations.

  25. Chunk, CIS men claiming to be Trans women is the problem, not the Trans women. The Telegraph made that clear with the following statement.

    A women in tech conference in Orlando was overrun by men lying on their applications by claiming to be “nonbinary,” organisers have said.

    Cis-gender men reportedly gate-crashed the Grace Hopper Celebration event, one of the largest job fairs for women and non-binary technologists.

    They were accused of skipping panel discussions featuring prominent women so that they could instead spend their time speaking to recruiters to bag jobs ahead of female attendees.

    Cullen White, Chief Impact Officer at the event organiser AnitaB, said it was “clear” that a far greater number of cisgender men attended than had been anticipated.

    “Simply put, some of you lied when you registered,” he said.

    “And as evidenced by the stacks and stacks of resumes you’re passing out, you did so because you thought you could come here and take space to try and get a job,” he added.

    Mr White accused the men of taking limited resources such as discounted academic tickets and interview slots from “women who need them.”

  26. Ivy
    Chunk isn’t really interested in abuse except the abuse he/she doles out.
    Back in the day, when I first got on Use Net we had a term for someone so fixated on a single issue as Chunk is. It was Net Kook. A type of troll.
    The best way to deal with a troll is to ignore them.

    Jack

  27. Today in the Digital Diner…
    Trump Iran Crisis, Hegseth Rumors & C-SPAN Trivia

    Trump’s bizarre Iran analogy, Hegseth replacement rumors, and C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman drops royal trivia. Plus, we handle the chat trolls live.

    Reality is a dumpster fire, but at least we have front-row seats. Today we dissect the absolute chaos of the latest Iran non-agreement, where Trump tries to explain geopolitics using a deeply confusing analogy about his wife skydiving. It makes zero sense, but the oil traders are still milking it for every dime while ships sit trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. We also look at JD Vance’s maneuvering and the looming ax over Pete Hegseth’s head as the Pentagon musical chairs continue.

    To cleanse the palate from the political grift, C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman drops by with actual intellectual sustenance. We cover Colbert’s Supreme Court shoutout, the technical difference between a joint session and a joint meeting, and why King Charles’s upcoming trip to Congress might just be the ultimate royal headache. We even resurrect Harry Truman via AI just to remember what a coherent presidential sentence sounds like.

    https://trailmix.cc/chat
    https://trailmix.cc
    https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    00:01:42 MAGA Caller Fails Basic Civics
    00:10:05 Banning Trolls in the Chat
    00:16:11 Melania’s Poll Numbers Tank
    00:18:03 Howard Mortman’s Colbert Shoutout
    00:23:30 King Charles & Congress Trivia
    00:35:48 AI Harry Truman Makes Sense
    00:46:08 Trump’s Bizarre Skydiving Analogy
    00:55:00 Will Hegseth Be Replaced?

  31. It is a beautiful day out and I have yard work to do. flower beds to build. fun stuff that doesn’t involve trolls };-0
    Got music playing from a play list Bink posted several years ago. A nice selection of singer song writer/ bluegrass.

    Jack

  34. https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/09/uk-and-norway-foil-russian-submarine-plot-to-survey-undersea-cables-in-north-atlantic

    The UK and Norwegian militaries led an operation to deter Russian submarines suspected of “malign activity” in the north Atlantic, the British defence secretary said on Thursday.

    John Healey said a frigate, planes and hundreds of personnel monitored a Russian attack sub and two spy submarines near undersea infrastructure north of the UK.

    He said the Russian vessels eventually left after the operation that lasted more than a month.

    Healey said his message to Russia was “we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”

    British officials have tried to keep Russia in the international spotlight even as the world’s attention is focused on the conflict in the Middle East.

    They have also stressed the overlap between wars there and in Ukraine, saying Russia has supplied Iran with drone parts and other support. Tehran has backed Moscow in its all-out war in Ukraine, providing it with its Shahed drones, now also made in Russia under the designation Geran.

  37. Just listened to the Extreme Mortman podcast, and the answer to the question was so obvious. How did we not come up with it?

    Gonna listen to Good Hang (Amy Poeler’s really, really, happy, funtime podcast) and pick up sticks in the back 40. The seedlings need to be planted, but still no tiller in sight, and it’s supposed to rain for several days. I may be starting over, but those seed snail work like magic.

  39. eff that patriarchal tiller

    just do pots if you have to

    cut the bottom off a large plastic bottle and you got a greenhouse for one

  40. oat milk cartons make good pots if you cut off the bottom

    but please be careful, always cut away from yourself never ever towards

    those cheap serrated knives are relatively safe

    you can also make pots out of newspaper, boxes all sorts of stuff. just needs to drain

  41. Craig,
    at 12:18 I received an email of suspicious nature subject “Trail Mix: Please moderate: ‘Taxing One’s Patience'” including several links which I am reluctant to click into for security reasons. Did this indeed come from you? Was it sent to all mixers and why?

  42. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-09/us-republicans-block-bid-to-rein-in-trump-iran-war-powers

    Rep. Chris Smith (NJ) presided over the House during this morning’s pro forma session.

    After the pledge of allegiance, he gaveled out of session without recognizing Democrat Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD) who showed up to pass a war powers resolution to end the war in Iran via unanimous consent.

    Rep. Glenn Ivey was the ONLY other representative in the chamber besides the Republican presiding over the House, if he was recognized and requested unanimous consent, the motion would pass without objection.

    *Same MAGAt Repug stunt used to let ACA tax credits expire, isn’t it? Show up, gavel in, gavel out, flee the building, and still collect your paycheck.

    We needed a damned STRIKE and sweeping boycotts twelve months ago. Congress critters have all been emboldened. There’s so much money to be taken, that they will never go the right thing…which is why so many Dems are too quiet. There’s about a dozen who are worth their salt as congresspeople.

  43. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/09/military-draft-registration-automatic-iran-war.html

    The Selective Service System plans to automatically register eligible American men between ages 18 and 26 for a U.S. military draft by the end of 2026.

    The SSS’s proposal would implement a requirement passed by Congress in December in the National Defense Authorization Act to include automatic registration for “every male citizen of the United States” between those ages.

    The SSS has said that in 2024, 81% of all eligible men registered, a three-percentage point drop from the previous year.

    1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a law requiring men between the ages of 18 to 25 to register for military conscription. Since then, the federal government has relied on voluntary compliance with that law, not automatic enrollment. Men who are 26 are allowed to enroll late to comply with the law.

    There are currently no plans to reinstate a draft. But on March 8, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump “keeps his options on the table” when Fox News Sunday host Maria Bartiromo asked her about the possibility of the draft returning.

    *You’re up first, MAGAts. You “ain’t no Senator’s son.”

  44. PatD, you got that because you are a contributor receiving administrator notifications. That was the system telling me flagged trouble makers are back on site. You can disregard.

  46. Therefore, the SAVE Act is fried baloney because the SSS will use federal data to automatically register men for the draft, so they are aware of citizenship.

    Also, men won’t have to notice the SSS if they’ve moved because the government already knows. It is already tracking everyone.

  51. This is what makes Scott a pro journalist worth following. He inverted the lead she buried:

    Scott MacFarlane
    @MacFarlaneNews

    First Lady Melania Trump publicly calls for Congress to give Epstein survivors a hearing to testify

    Melania Trump denies Epstein introduced her to her husband and downplays significance of a note she authored that surfaced in Epstein files release

  53. Yep, Mortonie, and just when I thought it was going to be a struggle to get back on the Epstein story. Her timing could not be worse for Donald. Or has the war news gotten so bad he’d rather talk about Epstein???

  54. Epstein is now a distraction!
    She called for hearings too.
    Getting that plane has given her cojones.

  55. hmmm wonder what the pre-nup and nup revisions have to say about her if/when he’s certified incompetent.

  57. https://www.primetimer.com/news/was-tyler-robinson-already-in-police-custody-when-he-confessed-to-murdering-charlie-kirk-on-discord-podcaster-baron-colemans-revelation-goes-viral

    Was Tyler Robinson already in police custody when he confessed to murdering Charlie Kirk on Discord?

    Discord message used by Kash Patel
    and the FBI to allege Tyler Robinson
    “confessed” to shooting Charlie Kirk at
    UVU was posted several hours AFTER he had already arrested, per court
    documents reviewed by @baroncoleman.

    Court reports reportedly reviewed by Coleman suggested that he was interrogated at 6.25 pm local time on September 11.

    Meanwhile, the Discord messages were reportedly sent at 8.57 pm local time, on the same date.
    According to Coleman, if Tyler was already in custody by 6.25 pm, he couldn’t have written the message on Discord two hours later. For the unversed, the Discord message allegedly read, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this. I’m surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments. Thanks for all the good times and laughs; you’ve all been so amazing.
    Thank you all for everything.”

    The message popped up from an account with the user name (zealous_monkey_55095). According to BBC reports of that time, authorities claimed that the alleged confession was done hours before his arrest. The Washington Post was the first to report these Discord messages.

    Candace Owens further claimed that this was why “an open-source investigation has been so devastating for the Feds.” Owens further wrote in the tweet that there was another point that she wanted to highlight. According to Candace, the authorities lied about what Tyler was wearing when he arrived at the police station.

  59. The whole war thing didn’t pan out, so now they’ve gotta pivot back to Epstein…or make it appear like someone in the inside wants to pivot back to it.

    She didn’t call for the full release of files, though, for did she.

  62. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/melania-trump-denies-ties-jeffrey-epstein-calls-congress-hold-hearing-rcna267510

    From today:

    In her comments, she referenced an email reply she once sent to Maxwell and said that “it cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence.”

    She appeared to be referencing an email released by the Justice Department from October 2002 in which she purportedly wrote “Dear G! How are you? Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture. I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time! Love, Melania.” The email addresses for the sender and recipient are redacted in the public document.

    *OK, “Sweet Pea.”

  63. Would getting free coffee grounds from Starbucks break the boycott? You can get them from there if you’re close to one. I’m not.

  64. Melania is not calling for the release of the full files. This is just a bit. Distract from the files, because maybe those who go to Congress wouldn’t be Adolf’s victims. Distract from the war. Distract from the robbery and insider trading.

    ps -Paolo Zampolli is said to have brought her to tRUMPsky’s attention. She was in that Eastern Europeans looking for a man website,too.

  66. A) why are we boycotting starbucks

    B) ofc you should use corporate waste to benefit your environment

  67. there’s a whole world going on that doesn’t stop just because trump’s a madman

    live yo life

  70. You can just step in there for the bag of used grounds without a purchase, they stack them by the door.

  75. “What’s on your itinerary tomorrow, dear?”

    “i vill go ahn zee tee vee to tahk abaht zee storees of zee vimink, vat abaht eeyou”

    “oh i am going to finally use one of those nukes the American people gave me, they’re all so dumb i hate them”

  79. https://people.com/paolo-zampolli-ex-girlfriend-ice-deportation-11931023

    Paolo Zampolli, the former modeling agent credited with introducing the Trumps in 1998, denied details of a new report about his communication with a senior immigration official

    The man credited with introducing President Donald Trump to first lady Melania Trump more than 20 years ago is facing controversy after The New York Times reported that he allegedly urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have the mother of his child detained amid a custody battle.

    According to the Times, former modeling agent Paolo Zampolli — who now serves as the president’s special envoy for global partnerships — allegedly called high-ranking ICE official David Venturella to ask for a favor after his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Ungaro, was arrested on fraud charges in Miami. Citing records and a source familiar with the conversation, the Times claimed Zampolli told Venturella that his Brazilian ex was in the country illegally and questioned whether she could be transferred to ICE detention to help him win custody of their teenage son.

    In his role as a special envoy, Zampolli holds limited power, but the longtime friend of the president has represented the administration in meetings with leaders from Austria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and other nations and international organizations like the European Central Bank and FIFA in recent months, according to posts on his social media and State Department statements.

  81. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/melania-was-part-of-social-circles-frequented-by-trump-epstein-biographer-8964530

    Epstein “Knew” Melania Well, Trump’s Biographer Alleges Link Between Two

    “She’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She’s introduced to Trump that way. Epstein [knew] her well,” Michael Wolff said in an interview with The Daily Beast podcast host Joanna Coles. Melania was part of the same modelling and social circles frequented by both Trump and Epstein, he added.

    Wolff also pointed to Melania’s 1998 introduction to Trump through Paolo Zampolli, founder of ID Models, who had ties to both Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Zampolli, who played a key role in helping Melania emigrate to the US, currently serves as Trump’s special representative for global partnerships.

    *Neither Donny nor Melania had sued Wolff for this story. He has tapes of Epstein interviews, so has Congress subpoenaed him for the full tapes?

  82. BlueD those stories support the notion that this sure looks like what the PR hacks call getting ahead of the story. There must be something out there provoking a preemptive move. Think I’ll go track down whatever Michael Wolf is saying.

  83. Never met her. Maybe she got him coffee once.

    Craig – That Wolff stuff isn’t new. No idea if he’s said anything recently. All I noticed was that she didn’t ask for the release of the full, Epstein files. You’re right, though. Methinks the First Lady doth protest too much.

  85. Now Donny is saying if Iran is charging tolls, they’d better stop it. What happened to the joint venture to charge tolls?

  86. Maybe if Congress is busy letting the survivors testify, they won’t have time for Pam Bondi.

  87. This story we’ve been teasing in our chats is getting more public,.

    Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President Vance, has long been rumored as a potential successor to Hegseth, should he get fired.

    “He sees that Driscoll is a natural successor to him,” the second ex-official said, adding that the White House told Hegseth that he cannot get rid of the Army secretary.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5822193-hegseth-driscoll-influence-struggle-pentagon/

  89. Today in the Diner we honor 40 years of C-SPAN Senate coverage by casually ignoring the space-time continuum. Behold our AI-resurrected Harry Truman delivering a masterpiece of fiscal sanity from 1941. A gift for our pal C-SPAN’s Howard “Extreme” Mortman.

    Harry returns:

  91. OK, so next time you’re at the hardware store (not some other kind of store that doesn’t know how to keep seeds) get a packet of wildflower seeds that they keep inside so they’re not spoiled and a packet of Cosmos seeds do some in pots and some in the ground and thank me next spring

    a pinch a pot’ll do ya

  92. Planted tons of wildflowers along the fence line last year. Harvested seeds to plant and left the stems out there over winter to see what will self seed. I have volunteer acorn squash in my red onions.

  93. You guys are inspiring me to grow some vegetables on my back deck, which gets all day southern sun. But I am afraid the pigeons could be a problem. Any idea for something they might not eat?

  95. Silas sez

    City pigeons are basically tiny, winged food critics. If it’s tender, sweet, or leafy… they’ll try it. But they’re surprisingly picky about strong smells, bitter flavors, and tough leaves.

    🌶 Vegetables They Usually Ignore
    These work because they’re bitter, spicy, or tough.
    Hot peppers (jalapeño, cayenne, Thai chili)
    Garlic
    Onions / scallions
    Leeks

  96. Silas endorses red onions;
    “Red onions are about as appealing to pigeons as a tax audit. Their sharp smell and sulfur compounds make them one of the safer crops to grow in a city balcony setup.”

  98. silas is a robot

    take it from me

    tons of tomatoes specific products for someone in exactly your situation

    or
    you can get a pot and a bamboo cane

  100. i’ve also got to think about squirrels, anon. i’m thinking onions less appealing to them?

    Luckily the rats don’t ever visit my above ground deck, or i wouldn’t try this at all.

  101. And Poobah, if you need pots, there’s probably 50 of them under my deck. Feel free to come get them. And it’s barbecue season so expect to linger a while.

  106. I’d like to see Khana run. I want them all to run. I want a big field to showcase lots of strong Democrats. I’m not picking one until after the South Carolina primary.

  107. Poobah , about 4 hours. But I have an idea that might make more sense. Contact me at my email and we’ll discuss it.

  108. Laundry basket potatoes. I’m trying that this year.

    Grow garlic & if you have any unwanted guests, chilipepper flakes & drop of Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. Let the water really draw out that spice from the pepper flakes.

    Squirrels are easy to train to be scared off. Every squirrel in my yard is named Peanut & they are skittish and haven’t caused trouble so far. I saw someone planting tulip bulbs and laying chicken wire over the dirt to deter them.

    Moles don’t like garlic. Damned raccoons aren’t picky. I’ve got a motion sensor by the seedlings, except when a storm is coming. Turkeys haven’t bothered anything. Deer ate the peach tree winter before last, but it seems to be bouncing back all of a sudden. The opposing under the dining room hasn’t caused problems.

  109. It is odd that Pam Bondi leaves & now doesn’t think she needs to show up for a hearing (but she does need to) & then Melania comes out with that statement on the survivors testifying…but mostly a disclaimer about her involvement with Epstein & Maxwell.

    Craig, You’re on to something there.

  111. I am doing 20 MPH in a 45 all the way home with a wrapped apple tree let’s go

    ok there might be some plastic bags the road but this tree already knows i love it

    she’s a beaut

    his orchard is 30 years old now

    he made some rookie mistakes there

    what a time capsule

  113. All the lying cheating and thieving and murdering is aging trumpco so quickly

    and that’s their greatest fear

    👍

  115. I’m seeing folks saying China has given Iran (500 or 1,500) DF-41s which have nuclear warheads, but I can find no confirmation in any news source. Fox Noise has a report about China shipping military aid to Iran, but no mention of this equipment.

  116. cherry tomatoes are the best bang for your buck btw and grow easy in containers

    or get three pots, 3 long sticks, some dirt out of your yard, one packet of tomato seeds, put a stick in each pot, fill with dirt, put 4 or 5 seeds seeds in each pot, give it full sun, water every day, thin down to the healthiest plant in each pot in a month or so, thank me in July

  117. China didn’t give Iran 500-1500 nukes i can assure you that much

    maybe that amount of missiles that could be equipped with such if available- an availability that everyone agrees, and which trump has asserted, that Iran does not have

  118. They are missles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, but I want confirmation. It used to be easier to track stuff.

  119. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15720367/melania-donald-trump-matchmaker-paolo-zampolli-epstein.html

    Ambassador Paolo Zampolli said Thursday that he’s ready to testify before Congress to prove that he was the individual who introduced President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

    ‘I’m ready to testify in Congress, in front of Congress, to say who introduced the First Lady, and I’m ready to even bring another 50 witnesses to say they were present that night,’ the Italian-American diplomat said in an interview with the Daily Mail. ‘The whole world knows this. This is old news.’

  120. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Zampolli

    In 2002, he [Zampolli] met Amanda Ungaro, a model from Londrina, Brazil, in Manhattan. Ungaro had earlier been brought to New York on Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Express” from Paris (her agent at the time was Jean-Luc Brunel, an alleged procurer for Epstein). When they met, Ungaro was 17 and Zampolli was 32.

    The couple split in 2018, and permanently separated in 2021 with Zampolli claiming that a marriage never occurred.[28] Ungaro was arrested in Florida in 2025 for conducting unlicensed cosmetic surgery procedures.[29] She was subsequently deported from the United States, after Zampolli allegedly asked a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official to detain her in an effort to gain custody of their son.

  121. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/why-melania-trump-gave-epstein-address-today-flotus-speech-sparks-amanda-ungaro-paolo-zampolli-pam-bondi-theories-101775786672909.html

    A post on X claimed that Melania might have chosen to speak out because of what Amanda Ungaro has to say. For her part, a profile going by the same name wrote on an archived page of Melania, from her first time as FLOTUS.

    “Hello Melania, I was around you for 20 years. You knew I was inside ICE, and you know what hurts after all this time?,” Ungaro said, adding “I stayed close to your family — your mother and your father — not because of you, but because of them, at events and everything else.” The profile going by Ungaro then added “So shut your mouth when speaking about me. Because I will expose everything I know.”

  122. Search Assist –

    Overview of Project Thor

    Project Thor, often referred to as “Rods from God,” is a theoretical military concept that involves using tungsten rods dropped from orbit to strike ground targets. The idea is to achieve the destructive power of a small nuclear weapon without the associated radiation.
    Key Features of Project Thor
    Kinetic Bombardment: The rods rely solely on kinetic energy, gaining speed as they fall from orbit, which allows them to penetrate deep into the ground.
    Material: Tungsten is chosen for its high density and melting point, making it suitable for withstanding the intense heat generated during re-entry.
    Impact Power: The impact of these rods can be equivalent to that of a small nuclear weapon, but without the fallout, making it a potentially attractive option for military operations.
    Technical Challenges
    Cost and Feasibility
    Launch Costs: The expense of launching these rods into orbit is significant, estimated at around $10,000 per pound. This makes the overall cost of deploying a single rod prohibitively high, potentially reaching $230 million.
    Accuracy and Targeting: Ensuring precise targeting from orbit poses technical difficulties, which complicates the practical application of this concept.
    Legal and Strategic Considerations
    Outer Space Treaty: The 1967 treaty prohibits nuclear weapons in space but does not explicitly ban kinetic weapons, creating a legal gray area for Project Thor.
    Military Interest: Despite its theoretical nature, there has been renewed interest in such systems as nations explore advanced military technologies.
    Conclusion
    Project Thor remains a concept rather than an operational system due to its high costs and technical challenges. However, it represents a significant shift in thinking about warfare, focusing on kinetic energy as a means of delivering devastating strikes without the consequences of nuclear fallout.

  123. They are missles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, but I want confirmation

    that would be instant global nuclear crisis, China isn’t giving Iran nukes

Name is required. Email and website optional — we only ask for civility.

Regulars: Already registered? Log in here so your name fills in automatically.

New here? You can comment without an account — just pick a name and type. If you want a permanent login, you can register here (optional).

First time here? New voices always welcome. The regulars only bite when provoked.

Leave a Comment

The maximum upload file size: 100 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

Join the Trail Mix

Get an alert when Craig goes live, and the link when our Open Thread heats up.