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Tricks or Traitors
Attribution: Ghosts from racist past 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.]
Author: patd
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
View all posts by patd
56 thoughts on “Tricks or Traitors”
runner up ‘toon for today continuing the costume theme
Attribution: The Cosplay Queen and the Frog by Paul Duginski, CagleCartoons.com
The GOP’s warnings about violence at Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies proved unwarranted, President Trump posted an AI video that depicts him doing vile things to protestors in New York City, and former Congressman George Santos was released from prison after the president commuted his sentence for wire fraud and identity theft.
Jon Stewart examines the “No Kings” protests that failed to meet Fox News’s violent expectations, why Trump fits the mold of a gold-smeared monarch, and how even the Declaration of Independence foreshadowed Trump’s king-ish antics.
interesting observation beginning at 15:27 about Dodo’s no king but a deity in the eyes of his beloved beholders.
a little musical pause in further celebration of the no kings protests
by Shirley Serban October 19, 2025: It made me so happy seeing footage of the October 18 No Kings protest, drawing millions. I know Trump seems to love dancing to YMCA, so why not grab him by the lyrics? Be encouraged, sane Americans. The world is watching. When enough stand up against this tyrrany, change WILL happen.
Jamie, I see the Ninth Circuit ruled as we expected when watching the oral arguments, letting Trump send Guard to Portland. Two of the three judges appointed by Trump.
Here’s what I don’t get about these national guard cases:
If conservatives believe the Second Amendment protects a ‘state militia,’ why celebrate Trump taking away state control of the Guard?
As far as I’m concerned my prior focus on SCOTUS in presidential elections was just too narrow. With apologies to Carville, it’s the COURTS, stupid.
Poobah, that states rights position so loudly and famously defended by the Republican Party ironically championed by a Democrat segregationist is soooooo 1960s and the deployment of the AL NG to force him to follow the law was by a Democrat President. Fact is, the modern MAGA party either doesn’t know about or doesn’t care about that little part of our constitution and their party’s insistence on that separation of state and federal control of the militia.
Yep Pog, the gun-rights crowd always fearing “nose under the tent” of state’s rights — but clueless as Trump tears down the whole tent.
from the “never forget” files
now that Snopes has verified Dodo’s dump on amercians, I can see Dems making use of his shitty message in campaigns for 2026 elections. here’s their fact check report and a replay of the dump: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ai-video-no-kings/
Fact Check
Trump posted AI video of him poop-bombing protesters?
The headline says it all, really.
Claim:
On Oct. 18, 2025, the day people across the U.S. attended “No Kings” protests to decry U.S. President Donald Trump, Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself in a fighter jet, dropping a brown substance on protesters while wearing a crown.
Rating:
True
[…]
Generated by artificial intelligence, the video depicted Trump wearing a crown while flying a fighter jet with the words “King Trump” painted on its side. As the jet flew over city protests, it dumped loads of a brown substance. The video then cut to the ground, where the substance landed on protesters, including Democratic social media influencer Harry Sisson. Reports have described the brown substance as “brown sludge,” “apparent human excrement,” a “poop-like substance,” or something that “appears to be feces.”
Snopes readers wrote in asking whether Trump had really posted the AI-generated video.
The claim was true. Trump posted the video on Truth Social, his social media platform, on Oct. 18.
The video contained a watermark with the username “@xerias_x.” That user, the video’s apparent originator, posted it about six hours before Trump, writing in a caption, “President Trump makes a quick appearance at the No Kings Protest.”
The X user’s bio describes the page’s output as “AI + Video Edits” and “Satire.” We reached out to @xerias_x to ask about the video, and we will update this report if we receive a response.
On Oct. 19, the day after Trump shared the video, Sisson posted on X, “Can a reporter please ask Trump why he posted an AI video of himself dropping poop on me from a fighter jet?”
Vice President JD Vance replied to Sisson’s post, saying “I’ll ask him for you Harry.”
“Just add me to the Signal chat I’ll ask him myself,” Sisson replied, presumably in reference to March 2025 reports that U.S. national intelligence officials mistakenly included a journalist in a Signal group chat about military strikes.
A journalist asked House Speaker Mike Johnson about the AI-generated video on Oct. 20.
“The president uses social media to make the point. You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that,” Johnson said, according to Politico. “He is using satire to make a point. He is not calling for the murder of his political opponents.”
The video used the Kenny Loggins song “Danger Zone,” originally released on the soundtrack for the film “Top Gun,” as audio.
On Oct. 20, Loggins released a statement on his website about the video. “This is an unauthorized use of my performance of ‘Danger Zone.’ Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately.”
[…]
Wrestling over interpretation
The backstory
The review stems from a case where a Texas man was charged with a felony for allegedly violating the federal guns-and-drugs law. According to authorities, the FBI had found a gun in his house, and said he acknowledged being a regular marijuana user.
An appeals court struck down the ban and charge, interpreting that he was not found with a gun while actively using. That ruling pointed to a 2022 landmark decision that had also found any restrictions must have strong basis in the nation’s history and said a blanket ban was not supported.
Now, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to review the case and apply a gun ban. The Justice Department argues the federal law is valid when used against “regular drug users” because they “pose a serious public safety risk.”
Local perspective
This battle raises many questions because, like Minnesota, about half of states have legalized recreational marijuana.
Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) said despite state and federal law discrepancies, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has clarified that it remains federally illegal to mix marijuana with guns.
What they’re saying
In response, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus sent this statement to FOX 9.
“Early American laws only punished carrying a firearm while intoxicated, not for unarmed use or possession of substances. The Supreme Court’s review will decide if that history supports disarming people for cannabis use alone. This issue is particularly ripe as states like Minnesota have legalized recreational cannabis use, and the federal government does not prosecute individuals for personal use.”
What’s next
The Supreme Court will likely hear arguments early next year.
The Source
FOX News, Associated Press
Today’s cartoon reflects the latest commentary on the GOP.
“Not all Republicans are racists, but if you are a racist, you are probably a Republican.”
And another twist Jamie:
Not all Republicans are racists, but all racists think they are
Update on Oregon decision: U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, wrote in her order that Trump appeared to be acting in bad faith with exaggerated claims of violence in the city called for full court review.
The decision on Monday came from U.S. Appellate Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco — both Trump appointees. Lawyers for the Oregon Department of Justice and the city of Portland will pursue a review and reconsideration by the full appeals court. That court would be made up of 11 appellate judges across the 10 states and Northern Mariana Islands represented in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
More on link.
It is a Fall Tuesday around here. Leaves changing colours, leaves starting to cover the ground. The mild drought continues, enough to be concerning, not enough to worry.
mangomoron is taking out the East Wing of the White House for his “ballroom”. From what I have seen that is causing a bit of angst for a lot of people. Those who worked in the WH are particularly ready to take up torches and pitchforks. stupid will not live to see it, hopefully vance reverses things and stops the destruction. Cheer for cholesterol.
After almost a month of work I finally have Windows 11 working on a Windows 11 computer. The fight was hard, I had to go back to the time I was a beta tester of Win 3.1 and Win 95, along with forty years of PC life to do it. I just cannot help feel sorry for people who have no computer tech experience trying to use this crap. Now I can take one of the computers and make it a Linux machine, that is much easier event though the Linux experience is finicky at times.
This morning. I’ve called 4 Senators & 1 Rep (so far) to see if “We, the people” can sue Orange Adolf for destruction of public property. He promised he wouldn’t touch it (if course he lied), didn’t have congressional approval to do it, and it sounds like he did it without a permit (never ask for permission, do it and say ooops). I call Thune & Grassley in addition to my Senators. I will be leaving a message for the AWOL MAGAt, Mike Johnson, and possibly more.
ms Bronc,
like the out-in-the-open heist at the Louvre, doesn’t the construction chaos lend itself to major security problems? the usual spies and terrorist suspects must be busy with all sorts of scenarios it presents.
today’s meme…
As predicted, Comey’s lawyers have moved to dismiss on two major grounds: vindictive prosecution and lack of authority of Halligan as result of improper appointment. WaPo.
Former FBI director James B. Comey asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the criminal case against him, calling it a vindictive prosecution and a direct extension of President Donald Trump’s long-running personal animosity.
In court filings, Comey’s attorneys — led by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, a former U.S. attorney for Chicago — accused the president of personally instigating the case on “facially flawed” charges that Comey lied to Congress. When several career prosecutors refused to proceed, citing insufficient evidence, the attorneys wrote, Trump installed a loyalist as U.S. attorney to ensure that a case would be filed.
In a second motion Monday, Comey’s defense team challenged the legitimacy of that appointment, saying Trump’s pick for interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, is serving unlawfully in the role.
They asked U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the charges could not be refiled.
“Bedrock principles of due process and equal protection have long ensured that government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies,” Comey’s lawyers wrote in their motions Monday. “But that is exactly what happened here.”
Of Halligan, they added, “The United States cannot charge, maintain and prosecute a case through an official who has no entitlement to exercise governmental authority.”
Those twin attacks constituted the opening broadside in the defense team’s effort to dismantle a case that has roiled the Justice Department and raised alarm over Trump’s efforts to commandeer the criminal justice system to prosecute perceived political foes.
[Continues]
Popcorn, please.
The changes a President can make to the White House is kind of a nebulous area. Trump’s blatant destruction and rebuild plans are possibly legal but totally offensive.
patd – fortunately I do not know much about the WH security systems. Think of a box that has several boxes inside. The outside box does have some walls that block signals and noise from going outside. Inside are boxes, some that have no outside contact unless a door is left open. Now you rip off a wall off the big box, that allows a lot of small signals and noise to get out. If someone is picking up signals around the WH, they are tickled pink and very happy. I can say there are people doing just that, also satellites.
We also know from various actions that the entire administration does not care about security. Many leaks, many gaffs and krasnov spewing information that should not be outside of a very secure box. Spies hope to get a word or two in a sentence, this administration gives them whole pages. Snooping is a science and an art. They are getting everything they want.
A bit about living with clearances, backgrounds, and assorted other things requiring secrecy. If your work requires you to have a clearance of some sort you get a clearance for just that bit. If your work changes you get a change to that clearance, expansion or contraction, or even the revocation. It does not give you the right to learn of or about other classified things.
If you are working on one part of a classified program, say designing a box to hold something, the something you are not cleared to learn about. Your friend is working on the something, but does not know anything about the box. The two of you are not to share the classified information. You can lose your clearance and get in deep trouble if you try to, or accidentally, learn what the something is.
Sometimes it is almost impossible to not hear things or see things, but you have to by law. During the times when spies are caught and speak of what they stole and it is reported on media. The wiki-leaks period was very difficult. Radio, television, online and newspapers were all not allowed in many offices where people with clearances worked. Memos went around stating that those with clearances must not listen to or watch anything .
When I say I am happy I don’t know anything, it is from my former life. I think my clearances and backgrounds have expired by now, but I am never sure. Somehow the prankster of bad hilarity would ensure I still have one somewhere.
If comey case is dismissed, can he then sue the Mangoloid for defamation? Among others?
To sue you must
Prove
1
Favorable Termination: The original lawsuit must have been resolved in your favor, such as being dismissed or resulting in a not guilty verdict.
2
Lack of Probable Cause: You must show that the defendant had no reasonable basis for initiating the legal action against you.
2
Malicious Intent: The plaintiff must prove that the defendant acted with malice, meaning the lawsuit was filed to cause harm rather than to seek justice.
2
Damages: You need to demonstrate that you suffered damages as a result of the malicious prosecution, which can include financial loss, emotional distress, or damage to your reputation.
Well, malice is easy to prove because SFB says it out loud and puts it in writing.
meme #2…
Fox Ann Fury is back — and she’s defending the monarchy from “No Kings Day.”
Because nothing says freedom like a golden throne and a Faux News mic. 👑
🎥 Watch the full royal meltdown:
1. Dismissal of case, either with or without prejudice satisfies the first element.
2. Not sure what state(s) that element is used in. Not here. Possibly limited to the facts of Comey’s case.
3. Malicious intent is inferred from the defendant’s words and actions. When it comes to Comey’s case that element shouldn’t be a problem. Older versions of defamation law required a false statement made with intent to harm the plaintiff. Defenses are that the statement was either true, considered an absolute defense, or opinion.
4. Damages are assumed in some jurisdictions if the other elements are proven, with the amount of damages left to the discretion of the jury (or judge for a bench trial). The problem with damages is that absent some concrete measure like a job lost or denied or something along those lines, quantifying reputational damages is difficult if not impossible. And let’s not forget punitive damages. A jury that finds the other elements may just be inclined to whack the nasty bastard for being such a dick.
Google AI’s explanation of defamation in WV goes like this:
Defamatory statement: The statement must be false and capable of harming the plaintiff’s reputation by exposing them to ridicule, contempt, or disgrace. This is a statement of fact, not an opinion.
Publication: The statement must be communicated to a third party (someone other than the plaintiff). This can be in writing (libel) or spoken (slander).
Identification: The statement must be about the plaintiff, making it clear that it refers to them.
Falsity: The statement must be false. Truth is an absolute defense against defamation.
Fault:
Private figures: The plaintiff must prove the defendant was at least negligent in making the statement.
Public figures/officials: The plaintiff must prove the defendant acted with actual malice, meaning they knew the statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Damage: The plaintiff must show that the statement caused harm to their reputation. Damages can include financial loss, emotional distress, or loss of standing in the community. However, for certain statements (defamation per se), damages are presumed and do not need to be proved separately or with particularity.
Defamation cases are difficult and relatively rare because of their difficulty. Trump may have revived them.
One of Trump’s most sweeping attacks on people with mental illness came in late July, when he signed an executive order pushing “long-term” involuntary institutionalization for people with mental illnesses experiencing homelessness, which the order argues the EO argues will “restore public order.”
Trump was more blunt about his hopes for what the EO would actually do a few weeks later, when he announced the deployment of National Guard troops to DC: “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR,” he posted on Truth Social. T
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Who Scrutinized Hunter Biden’s Business Dealings, Just Quietly Went into Business with Donald Trump Jr.
In a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, Oct. 17 — which was first reported by Bloomberg — Ingraham and Don Jr. are named as directors of “Colombier Acquisition Corp. III,” a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that is seeking to raise $260 million in an initial public offering in order to acquire another company.
The CEO of the Cayman Islands-based SPAC is Omeed Malik, co-founder and managing partner of the MAGA-aligned venture capital fund 1789 Capital. Following Donald Trump’s 2024 election win, Don Jr., 47, announced that he was joining 1789 Capital rather than serving an official role in his father’s second administration.
GOP prepares to cave on shutdown. It will be fun to watch how they go about declaring victory.
The Senate returns this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, but a vote to end the government shutdown will not take place.
Instead, the Senate will vote on judicial nominations, first at 11 a.m. ET for a nominee to the federal bench in Alabama before lunch, then return for the afternoon session on other judicial nominations. Senate Republicans are set to meet with President Trump for lunch at the White House today as the government shutdown reached Day 21.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans later this week to bring up a bill that would pay federal workers and military members who have continued to work during the shutdown. However, the bill requires support from Democrats, who last week blocked a similar long-term defense spending bill.
The House is away from Washington this week, and has not voted since Sept. 19, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying he’d bring the House back should the Senate vote to pay federal workers and military members.
On Monday, the Senate failed for the 11th time to pass a House-backed measure to fund the government until Nov. 21 and reopen. The vote continues to fall short of the 60 votes needed to pass, and Republicans have not garnered any new support from Democrats.
*And why would Dems support something they (and their constituents) have been given no voice in?
That’s what Orange Adolf, Russell Vought (who tRUMP allegedly tried to get laid after his divorce), and even Congress is forgetting. This isn’t about them, it’s about US.
Vought’s ex-wife, Mary Vought (of the Heritage Foundation), had left him in 2023. Trump, in turn, appointed himself as Vought’s wingman.
“Trump spoke to Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist who’s now one of the president’s most hardline enforcers, about the ‘gorgeous’ and ‘beautiful ladies’ who roam Trump’s club, Mar-a-Lago, so often that it ‘weirded out’ some of his advisers,” sources told Zeteo.
“And Trump spoke crudely of all the ‘pussy’ that Vought would surely get as the president’s favorite ‘bachelor.’”
She said when they met, the prince told her that “my daughters are just a little younger than you.”
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking and agreed to make a donation to her charity.
Of that settlement, Giuffre wrote: “After casting doubt on my credibility for so long — Prince Andrew’s team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me — the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well.”
“We would never get a confession, of course. That’s what settlements are designed to avoid,” she added. “But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I’d been through.”
US ranchers and industry groups are responding critically to President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “would buy some beef from Argentina” in a bid to “bring our beef prices down,” while pursuing an up to $40 billion bailout for the South American country.
Trump made the suggestion to reporters on Air Force One Sunday, according to the Associated Press. A few days earlier, he’d said that a deal to cut the price of beef was “gonna be coming down pretty soon.” The AP noted various reasons for “stubbornly high” US prices, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico.
“Nothing about this involves, in my view, Ms. Habba personally,” Smith said. “This is about the statutes. This is about the separation of powers. This is about an important position within the firmament of government. This is about process, which is what the system that we operate under every day is all about.”
The three-judge panel — composed of two judges put on the bench by Bush and one by Biden — is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks. With similar legal challenges playing out across the country for other U.S. attorneys who failed to secure confirmations — including the top prosecutors in Nevada and the Northern New York — the decision could have sweeping implications for the Justice Department.
Following the arguments, Habba posted on social media to criticize the legal challenge as well as Senate Democrats for failing to consider her nomination.
“When millions of Americans voted for a change in leadership in November, they voted for a new direction. That choice should not be undermined by political obstruction in Congress or by criminal defendants,” she wrote.
*How professional , to clap back in a tweet, and to suggest that Congress is guilty of obstruction not that defendants in criminal proceedings have any sway…nor that they are criminals if their cases have not been tried.
“They are organized,” Bondi claimed during a recent appearance on Fox News. “They are a criminal organization. And they’re very organized. You’re seeing people out there with thousands of signs that all match, pre-bought, pre-put together.”
Many on social media mocked Bondi for continuing to believe antifa is a full-fledged organization at all, let alone that the proof is in signs that match. Many also shared photos of MAGA rallies in which supporters all hold the same sign.
There are currently no confirmed arrest or court records in the United States listing “Antifa” as an organization, membership, or chargeable entity. — Trail Mix Brief
So let’s see, according to Wiki’s version of events, Habba blames Democrats for failing to consider her nomination? She was nominated on 3/28 when Republicans controlled the Senate Judiciary committee, Trump withdrew her nomination to have her appointed as Acting USA in NJ. On July 22, 2025, the judges in the District Court for the District of New Jersey declined to retain Habba until a nominee is named, appointing her first assistant instead, who Bondi fired and put Habba back in place. On 8/21/25 Matthew Brann, chief USDJ for the MD of PA, sitting on assignment in NJ, declared her appointment void as of 7/1/25 and that her reappointment was invalid. Aside from two NJ Senators, who after she investigated and or arrested a slew of NJ Dem politicians, refused to support her nomination, how did Democrats fail to consider her nomination?
Oh, and with the exception of prevailing in having Michael Cohen’s suit against Dumbass thrown out, to characterize her as anything but a miserably ineffective attorney (of course I suppose you have to consider her client) is being charitable.
Trashing the White House even made Inside Edition..
Well, that makes sense. From Wiki’s article on Antifa:
In July 2020, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, who had stated in a press release on June 4 that “anarchists like Antifa” are “exploiting this situation to pursue violent, extremist agendas”, testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that the agency “considers antifa more of an ideology than an organization” which was later reiterated the same year in a September 17 remark to lawmakers. This contradicted President Trump’s remarks about antifa and put Wray at odds with the Trump administration. According to the Associated Press, Wray “did not dispute that antifa activists were a serious concern”, stating that antifa was a “real thing” and that the FBI had undertaken “any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists”, including into individuals who identify with antifa, whom the FBI identified as “a movement or an ideology” rather than as “a group or an organization”. Wray stated that “racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years”, although “this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types.” In August 2020, three DHS draft reports did not mention antifa as a domestic terrorism risk and ranked white supremacy as the top risk, higher than that of foreign terrorist groups.
Hard to sue or file charges against an ideology, unlike an idiot.
BB, your link goes nowhere.
Here’s CNN’s article on the swearing in suit for Grijalva.
A former DEA official claimed that alleged cartel bounties on Department of Homeland Security officials are false and would seek to justify the deployment of more U.S. army forces in the streets.
Speaking to Infobae, Mike Vigil, former top DEA official, said “the statement is not true.” “It is absolutely absurd because neither ICE nor CBP are a threat to cartels, and if they took action against them they would be in trouble. It’s absurd that cartels are focusing on them because many agencies in the U.S., including the DEA, are only focused in migrants,” he added.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also denied being aware of allegations, initially made by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem accused of posting fake video of Black men threatening ICE agents
…social media users soon claimed to have tracked down the original version of the video and alleged it was first uploaded with an entirely different caption, in which the participants jokingly threaten Iran, not U.S. federal immigration agents.
ICE conducts raid on Chinatown’s Canal Street, multiple people detained as New Yorkers rage
When the agents went to arrest a vendor, who appeared to be African, members of the crowd became incensed. Some became enraged to the point of yelling in ICE agents’ faces, comparing them to Nazis and calling them fascists.
As ICE agents went to their vehicles, New Yorkers ran into the streets. The agents then began pushing people and tackling some to the ground. That led to more enraged bystanders joining the mob and lashing out at the ICE agents.
The feds then pulled out batons and riot shields in an effort to get the crowd under control, striking some in the process.
“This doesn’t make anyone safer,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, told amNewYork. “It actually makes everyone a lot more unsafe when people don’t feel like they can go to the police or to law enforcement with their issues.”
He criticized Mayor Eric Adams for “collaborating with federal immigration authorities” and deploying the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group alongside ICE agents, calling it “a clear violation of New York City’s sanctuary city laws.”
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the Adams administration was aware of the federal law enforcement action on Canal Street, and was “gathering more details,” but that the NYPD had no role in the raid.
“We never cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportation matters, in accordance with local laws, and have no involvement in this matter,” Mamelak said. “Mayor Adams has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue the American Dream should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals.”
ICE buying “guided missile warheads” as spending skyrockets under Trump
The news outlet reported that from January 20 to October 18, new spending in the small arms category totaled $71,515,762. Most of that money went toward guns and armor, but ICE also bought chemical weapons and “guided missile warheads and explosive components.”
Th y figure they’re going to need then once the maggots all realize they’ve been had.
Hornswoggled.
Wool over eyes.
Pigs bought in a poke.
Slickered.
Played for fools.
Taken for a long ride on the Dumb-ass Express.
When all the fools in town are no longer on their side.
runner up ‘toon for today continuing the costume theme
Attribution: The Cosplay Queen and the Frog by Paul Duginski, CagleCartoons.com
The GOP’s warnings about violence at Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies proved unwarranted, President Trump posted an AI video that depicts him doing vile things to protestors in New York City, and former Congressman George Santos was released from prison after the president commuted his sentence for wire fraud and identity theft.
Jon Stewart examines the “No Kings” protests that failed to meet Fox News’s violent expectations, why Trump fits the mold of a gold-smeared monarch, and how even the Declaration of Independence foreshadowed Trump’s king-ish antics.
interesting observation beginning at 15:27 about Dodo’s no king but a deity in the eyes of his beloved beholders.
a little musical pause in further celebration of the no kings protests
by Shirley Serban October 19, 2025: It made me so happy seeing footage of the October 18 No Kings protest, drawing millions. I know Trump seems to love dancing to YMCA, so why not grab him by the lyrics? Be encouraged, sane Americans. The world is watching. When enough stand up against this tyrrany, change WILL happen.
Jamie, I see the Ninth Circuit ruled as we expected when watching the oral arguments, letting Trump send Guard to Portland. Two of the three judges appointed by Trump.
Here’s what I don’t get about these national guard cases:
If conservatives believe the Second Amendment protects a ‘state militia,’ why celebrate Trump taking away state control of the Guard?
As far as I’m concerned my prior focus on SCOTUS in presidential elections was just too narrow. With apologies to Carville, it’s the COURTS, stupid.
Poobah, that states rights position so loudly and famously defended by the Republican Party ironically championed by a Democrat segregationist is soooooo 1960s and the deployment of the AL NG to force him to follow the law was by a Democrat President. Fact is, the modern MAGA party either doesn’t know about or doesn’t care about that little part of our constitution and their party’s insistence on that separation of state and federal control of the militia.
Yep Pog, the gun-rights crowd always fearing “nose under the tent” of state’s rights — but clueless as Trump tears down the whole tent.
from the “never forget” files
now that Snopes has verified Dodo’s dump on amercians, I can see Dems making use of his shitty message in campaigns for 2026 elections. here’s their fact check report and a replay of the dump:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ai-video-no-kings/
Craig & Pogeaux, that gun rights crowd might also rue the day when SCOTUS rules on the current gun case before them — no matter which way they rule.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/supreme-court-will-weigh-gun-rights-for-regular-marijuana-users/
Today’s cartoon reflects the latest commentary on the GOP.
“Not all Republicans are racists, but if you are a racist, you are probably a Republican.”
And another twist Jamie:
Not all Republicans are racists, but all racists think they are
small govt conservatives don’t seem to understand just how much they’ve been conned…
How the Supreme Court placed ICE above the law..
https://www.vox.com/politics/464962/supreme-court-ice-no-law
Update on Oregon decision: U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, wrote in her order that Trump appeared to be acting in bad faith with exaggerated claims of violence in the city called for full court review.
More on link.
It is a Fall Tuesday around here. Leaves changing colours, leaves starting to cover the ground. The mild drought continues, enough to be concerning, not enough to worry.
mangomoron is taking out the East Wing of the White House for his “ballroom”. From what I have seen that is causing a bit of angst for a lot of people. Those who worked in the WH are particularly ready to take up torches and pitchforks. stupid will not live to see it, hopefully vance reverses things and stops the destruction. Cheer for cholesterol.
After almost a month of work I finally have Windows 11 working on a Windows 11 computer. The fight was hard, I had to go back to the time I was a beta tester of Win 3.1 and Win 95, along with forty years of PC life to do it. I just cannot help feel sorry for people who have no computer tech experience trying to use this crap. Now I can take one of the computers and make it a Linux machine, that is much easier event though the Linux experience is finicky at times.
This morning. I’ve called 4 Senators & 1 Rep (so far) to see if “We, the people” can sue Orange Adolf for destruction of public property. He promised he wouldn’t touch it (if course he lied), didn’t have congressional approval to do it, and it sounds like he did it without a permit (never ask for permission, do it and say ooops). I call Thune & Grassley in addition to my Senators. I will be leaving a message for the AWOL MAGAt, Mike Johnson, and possibly more.
ms Bronc,
like the out-in-the-open heist at the Louvre, doesn’t the construction chaos lend itself to major security problems? the usual spies and terrorist suspects must be busy with all sorts of scenarios it presents.
today’s meme…
As predicted, Comey’s lawyers have moved to dismiss on two major grounds: vindictive prosecution and lack of authority of Halligan as result of improper appointment. WaPo.
Popcorn, please.
The changes a President can make to the White House is kind of a nebulous area. Trump’s blatant destruction and rebuild plans are possibly legal but totally offensive.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/white-house-renovations-timeline
patd – fortunately I do not know much about the WH security systems. Think of a box that has several boxes inside. The outside box does have some walls that block signals and noise from going outside. Inside are boxes, some that have no outside contact unless a door is left open. Now you rip off a wall off the big box, that allows a lot of small signals and noise to get out. If someone is picking up signals around the WH, they are tickled pink and very happy. I can say there are people doing just that, also satellites.
We also know from various actions that the entire administration does not care about security. Many leaks, many gaffs and krasnov spewing information that should not be outside of a very secure box. Spies hope to get a word or two in a sentence, this administration gives them whole pages. Snooping is a science and an art. They are getting everything they want.
A bit about living with clearances, backgrounds, and assorted other things requiring secrecy. If your work requires you to have a clearance of some sort you get a clearance for just that bit. If your work changes you get a change to that clearance, expansion or contraction, or even the revocation. It does not give you the right to learn of or about other classified things.
If you are working on one part of a classified program, say designing a box to hold something, the something you are not cleared to learn about. Your friend is working on the something, but does not know anything about the box. The two of you are not to share the classified information. You can lose your clearance and get in deep trouble if you try to, or accidentally, learn what the something is.
Sometimes it is almost impossible to not hear things or see things, but you have to by law. During the times when spies are caught and speak of what they stole and it is reported on media. The wiki-leaks period was very difficult. Radio, television, online and newspapers were all not allowed in many offices where people with clearances worked. Memos went around stating that those with clearances must not listen to or watch anything .
When I say I am happy I don’t know anything, it is from my former life. I think my clearances and backgrounds have expired by now, but I am never sure. Somehow the prankster of bad hilarity would ensure I still have one somewhere.
If comey case is dismissed, can he then sue the Mangoloid for defamation? Among others?
To sue you must
Prove
1
Favorable Termination: The original lawsuit must have been resolved in your favor, such as being dismissed or resulting in a not guilty verdict.
2
Lack of Probable Cause: You must show that the defendant had no reasonable basis for initiating the legal action against you.
2
Malicious Intent: The plaintiff must prove that the defendant acted with malice, meaning the lawsuit was filed to cause harm rather than to seek justice.
2
Damages: You need to demonstrate that you suffered damages as a result of the malicious prosecution, which can include financial loss, emotional distress, or damage to your reputation.
Well, malice is easy to prove because SFB says it out loud and puts it in writing.
meme #2…
Fox Ann Fury is back — and she’s defending the monarchy from “No Kings Day.”
Because nothing says freedom like a golden throne and a Faux News mic. 👑
🎥 Watch the full royal meltdown:
1. Dismissal of case, either with or without prejudice satisfies the first element.
2. Not sure what state(s) that element is used in. Not here. Possibly limited to the facts of Comey’s case.
3. Malicious intent is inferred from the defendant’s words and actions. When it comes to Comey’s case that element shouldn’t be a problem. Older versions of defamation law required a false statement made with intent to harm the plaintiff. Defenses are that the statement was either true, considered an absolute defense, or opinion.
4. Damages are assumed in some jurisdictions if the other elements are proven, with the amount of damages left to the discretion of the jury (or judge for a bench trial). The problem with damages is that absent some concrete measure like a job lost or denied or something along those lines, quantifying reputational damages is difficult if not impossible. And let’s not forget punitive damages. A jury that finds the other elements may just be inclined to whack the nasty bastard for being such a dick.
Google AI’s explanation of defamation in WV goes like this:
Defamation cases are difficult and relatively rare because of their difficulty. Trump may have revived them.
One of Trump’s most sweeping attacks on people with mental illness came in late July, when he signed an executive order pushing “long-term” involuntary institutionalization for people with mental illnesses experiencing homelessness, which the order argues the EO argues will “restore public order.”
Trump was more blunt about his hopes for what the EO would actually do a few weeks later, when he announced the deployment of National Guard troops to DC: “Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR,” he posted on Truth Social. T
https://people.com/fox-news-laura-ingraham-joins-business-venture-with-donald-trump-jr-11833251
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Who Scrutinized Hunter Biden’s Business Dealings, Just Quietly Went into Business with Donald Trump Jr.
In a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, Oct. 17 — which was first reported by Bloomberg — Ingraham and Don Jr. are named as directors of “Colombier Acquisition Corp. III,” a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that is seeking to raise $260 million in an initial public offering in order to acquire another company.
The CEO of the Cayman Islands-based SPAC is Omeed Malik, co-founder and managing partner of the MAGA-aligned venture capital fund 1789 Capital. Following Donald Trump’s 2024 election win, Don Jr., 47, announced that he was joining 1789 Capital rather than serving an official role in his father’s second administration.
GOP prepares to cave on shutdown. It will be fun to watch how they go about declaring victory.
Politico: “Republicans aren’t negotiating an Obamacare extension yet. But they’re getting ready.
The discussions surround how to structure and advance an extension of key insurance subsidies before the end of the year”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/obamacare-insurance-extension-shutdown-00616150
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2025/10/21/when-does-the-senate-vote-today-on-government-shutdown-watch-time-shutdown-2025-live-updates-reopen/86813986007/
The Senate returns this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, but a vote to end the government shutdown will not take place.
Instead, the Senate will vote on judicial nominations, first at 11 a.m. ET for a nominee to the federal bench in Alabama before lunch, then return for the afternoon session on other judicial nominations. Senate Republicans are set to meet with President Trump for lunch at the White House today as the government shutdown reached Day 21.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans later this week to bring up a bill that would pay federal workers and military members who have continued to work during the shutdown. However, the bill requires support from Democrats, who last week blocked a similar long-term defense spending bill.
The House is away from Washington this week, and has not voted since Sept. 19, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying he’d bring the House back should the Senate vote to pay federal workers and military members.
On Monday, the Senate failed for the 11th time to pass a House-backed measure to fund the government until Nov. 21 and reopen. The vote continues to fall short of the 60 votes needed to pass, and Republicans have not garnered any new support from Democrats.
*And why would Dems support something they (and their constituents) have been given no voice in?
That’s what Orange Adolf, Russell Vought (who tRUMP allegedly tried to get laid after his divorce), and even Congress is forgetting. This isn’t about them, it’s about US.
https://newrepublic.com/post/202065/donald-trump-russell-vought-project-2025-laid-mar-a-lago
Vought’s ex-wife, Mary Vought (of the Heritage Foundation), had left him in 2023. Trump, in turn, appointed himself as Vought’s wingman.
“Trump spoke to Vought, a self-described Christian nationalist who’s now one of the president’s most hardline enforcers, about the ‘gorgeous’ and ‘beautiful ladies’ who roam Trump’s club, Mar-a-Lago, so often that it ‘weirded out’ some of his advisers,” sources told Zeteo.
“And Trump spoke crudely of all the ‘pussy’ that Vought would surely get as the president’s favorite ‘bachelor.’”
https://apnews.com/article/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-book-memoir-c05a382e3505f23eef5288bcdcba328a
She said when they met, the prince told her that “my daughters are just a little younger than you.”
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking and agreed to make a donation to her charity.
Of that settlement, Giuffre wrote: “After casting doubt on my credibility for so long — Prince Andrew’s team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me — the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well.”
“We would never get a confession, of course. That’s what settlements are designed to avoid,” she added. “But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I’d been through.”
https://www.rawstory.com/betrayal-ranchers-furious-as-trump-uses/
US ranchers and industry groups are responding critically to President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “would buy some beef from Argentina” in a bid to “bring our beef prices down,” while pursuing an up to $40 billion bailout for the South American country.
Trump made the suggestion to reporters on Air Force One Sunday, according to the Associated Press. A few days earlier, he’d said that a deal to cut the price of beef was “gonna be coming down pretty soon.” The AP noted various reasons for “stubbornly high” US prices, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico.
more looting of the Treasury
https://www.wsbradio.com/news/national/appeals-court-considers-whether-alina-habba-can-continue-njs-top-prosecutor/BBVS7W3UVUYGJOYQ7DZF72YOXU/
“Nothing about this involves, in my view, Ms. Habba personally,” Smith said. “This is about the statutes. This is about the separation of powers. This is about an important position within the firmament of government. This is about process, which is what the system that we operate under every day is all about.”
The three-judge panel — composed of two judges put on the bench by Bush and one by Biden — is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks. With similar legal challenges playing out across the country for other U.S. attorneys who failed to secure confirmations — including the top prosecutors in Nevada and the Northern New York — the decision could have sweeping implications for the Justice Department.
Following the arguments, Habba posted on social media to criticize the legal challenge as well as Senate Democrats for failing to consider her nomination.
“When millions of Americans voted for a change in leadership in November, they voted for a new direction. That choice should not be undermined by political obstruction in Congress or by criminal defendants,” she wrote.
*How professional , to clap back in a tweet, and to suggest that Congress is guilty of obstruction not that defendants in criminal proceedings have any sway…nor that they are criminals if their cases have not been tried.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/10/pam-bondi-said-matching-signs-prove-is-real-it-didnt-go-well-for-her/
“They are organized,” Bondi claimed during a recent appearance on Fox News. “They are a criminal organization. And they’re very organized. You’re seeing people out there with thousands of signs that all match, pre-bought, pre-put together.”
Many on social media mocked Bondi for continuing to believe antifa is a full-fledged organization at all, let alone that the proof is in signs that match. Many also shared photos of MAGA rallies in which supporters all hold the same sign.
There are currently no confirmed arrest or court records in the United States listing “Antifa” as an organization, membership, or chargeable entity. — Trail Mix Brief
So let’s see, according to Wiki’s version of events, Habba blames Democrats for failing to consider her nomination? She was nominated on 3/28 when Republicans controlled the Senate Judiciary committee, Trump withdrew her nomination to have her appointed as Acting USA in NJ. On July 22, 2025, the judges in the District Court for the District of New Jersey declined to retain Habba until a nominee is named, appointing her first assistant instead, who Bondi fired and put Habba back in place. On 8/21/25 Matthew Brann, chief USDJ for the MD of PA, sitting on assignment in NJ, declared her appointment void as of 7/1/25 and that her reappointment was invalid. Aside from two NJ Senators, who after she investigated and or arrested a slew of NJ Dem politicians, refused to support her nomination, how did Democrats fail to consider her nomination?
Oh, and with the exception of prevailing in having Michael Cohen’s suit against Dumbass thrown out, to characterize her as anything but a miserably ineffective attorney (of course I suppose you have to consider her client) is being charitable.
Someone with more brass than whoever that is in the House. Suing mickie to swear in their newest House member.
Trashing the White House even made Inside Edition..
Well, that makes sense. From Wiki’s article on Antifa:
Hard to sue or file charges against an ideology, unlike an idiot.
BB, your link goes nowhere.
Here’s CNN’s article on the swearing in suit for Grijalva.
Like the side-by-side view – a lot.
https://www.latintimes.com/former-dea-agent-claims-cartel-bounties-dhs-agents-are-fake-absolutely-absurd-590585
A former DEA official claimed that alleged cartel bounties on Department of Homeland Security officials are false and would seek to justify the deployment of more U.S. army forces in the streets.
Speaking to Infobae, Mike Vigil, former top DEA official, said “the statement is not true.” “It is absolutely absurd because neither ICE nor CBP are a threat to cartels, and if they took action against them they would be in trouble. It’s absurd that cartels are focusing on them because many agencies in the U.S., including the DEA, are only focused in migrants,” he added.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also denied being aware of allegations, initially made by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kristi-noem-dhs-tweet-ice-threat-b2848625.html
Noem accused of posting fake video of Black men threatening ICE agents
…social media users soon claimed to have tracked down the original version of the video and alleged it was first uploaded with an entirely different caption, in which the participants jokingly threaten Iran, not U.S. federal immigration agents.
Caesars Palace meets the Palace of Versailles
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/21/politics/white-house-renovations-history
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/26-federal-plaza-nyc-immigration-court-ice-agents-detainments-deportations.html
The Trap at 26 Federal Plaza Every day immigrants arriving for routine hearings are targeted by ICE agents and taken from their families.
ICE conducts raid on Chinatown’s Canal Street, multiple people detained as New Yorkers rage
When the agents went to arrest a vendor, who appeared to be African, members of the crowd became incensed. Some became enraged to the point of yelling in ICE agents’ faces, comparing them to Nazis and calling them fascists.
As ICE agents went to their vehicles, New Yorkers ran into the streets. The agents then began pushing people and tackling some to the ground. That led to more enraged bystanders joining the mob and lashing out at the ICE agents.
The feds then pulled out batons and riot shields in an effort to get the crowd under control, striking some in the process.
“This doesn’t make anyone safer,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, told amNewYork. “It actually makes everyone a lot more unsafe when people don’t feel like they can go to the police or to law enforcement with their issues.”
He criticized Mayor Eric Adams for “collaborating with federal immigration authorities” and deploying the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group alongside ICE agents, calling it “a clear violation of New York City’s sanctuary city laws.”
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the Adams administration was aware of the federal law enforcement action on Canal Street, and was “gathering more details,” but that the NYPD had no role in the raid.
“We never cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportation matters, in accordance with local laws, and have no involvement in this matter,” Mamelak said. “Mayor Adams has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue the American Dream should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals.”
*Yeah, but Adams is in tRUMP’s pocket.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/12/eric-adams-trump-primary-risks-00203873
Mayor Eric Adams got a lifeline from President Donald Trump…
…federal prosecutors moved to dismiss a sweeping corruption case against the Democrat.
*Jamie – Don & Ivana at the Winter Palace Leningrad/St.Petersburg
Gaudy, Russian trash
https://www.tag24.com/politics/refugees/ice-buying-guided-missile-warheads-as-spending-skyrockets-under-trump-3430906
ICE buying “guided missile warheads” as spending skyrockets under Trump
The news outlet reported that from January 20 to October 18, new spending in the small arms category totaled $71,515,762. Most of that money went toward guns and armor, but ICE also bought chemical weapons and “guided missile warheads and explosive components.”
*Someone please explain why ICE needs guided missiles. ???
Someone please explain why ICE needs guided missiles. ???
Th y figure they’re going to need then once the maggots all realize they’ve been had.
Hornswoggled.
Wool over eyes.
Pigs bought in a poke.
Slickered.
Played for fools.
Taken for a long ride on the Dumb-ass Express.
When all the fools in town are no longer on their side.