Waste, Frauds and Abusers

W = White House

A = assholes

S = strutting

T = their

E = egos

Attribution: HEGSETH CALLS THE GENERALS TOGETHER by Randall Enos, Easton, CT

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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

89 thoughts on “Waste, Frauds and Abusers”


  1. President Trump sent the military to Oregon after seeing a misleading report on Fox News and indicated that everyone in America will soon have access to futuristic medical technology, while the indictment of James Comey represents a chilling escalation of Trump’s efforts to punish his political enemies.


  3. Pete Hegseth has ordered one of the rarest gatherings in modern military history: calling America’s admirals and generals to Quantico for a “warrior ethos” speech. Bobby Jones from ‪@ValorMediaNetwork‬ dives into why the move has raised eyebrows across Washington and the Pentagon.

    This is about more than one speech. It’s about power, credibility, and the risk of turning America’s military leadership into props for political theater.

  4. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-pete-hegseth-generals-military-meeting

    “It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC News in a phone call. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”

    “esprit de corps” per webster:
    the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group

    7 years ago
    “Jingle Jangle Jingle” words and music by by Joseph J. Lilley and Frank Loesser
    parody lyrics by Roy Zimmerman and Melanie Harby


  5. William Enyart, Retired Major General for the Illinois National Guard and Claire McCaskill, Former Democratic Senator from Missouri join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to discuss the upcoming gathering of nearly all of the United States military generals at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for reasons that have still not been made clear, and how this gathering poses an immense national security risk and could potentially cost the government millions of dollars.

  7. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pete-hegseth-military-meeting-reason

    Hegseth seemed to address concerns about the meeting for the first time on Friday, when he responded to a post on X from retired officer Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges.

    Hodges wrote: “July 1935 German generals were called to a surprise assembly in Berlin and informed that their previous oath to the Weimar constitution was void and that they would be required to swear a personal oath to the Führer. Most generals took the new oath to keep their positions.”

    “Cool story, General,” Hegseth responded.

  8. FYI
    https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/g-s1-90732/government-shut-down

    Here’s what a government shutdown could affect around the country
    September 30, 20255:03 AM ET
    Without congressional action, government funding will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1. Anything deemed nonessential would be put on hold, so Americans could experience delays with certain services and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will go without pay.
    Here are some of the ways a shutdown would be felt across the country.
    Jump to state-specific impacts.
    If you’re flying soon …
    Air traffic controllers and most Transportation Security Administration employees are considered “essential workers” and have to stay on the job, even if that means working without pay while the rest of the federal government shuts down.
    If a shutdown dragged on, travelers could see more “sick-outs” of key personnel. That happened during the 2018-2019 government shutdown as workers showed their anger over missing paychecks.
    Lastly, if you’re planning on any international travel in the new year, you may need to build in even more time for passport renewals. U.S. passport agencies will remain open, but it could take longer to process applications with some employees furloughed.
    What about the mail?
    The U.S. Postal Service will keep the mail moving as usual in the event of a shutdown. USPS is primarily self-funded and doesn’t depend on the appropriations process to continue running as usual.
    Benefit and safety net programs
    Social Security, VA and other benefits will continue, but there could be some delay in services, such as processing applications.
    In a shutdown, the first to feel the pinch could be the mothers and young children who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food program.
    “The timing of this shutdown threat at the start of the fiscal year puts WIC at risk of rapidly running out of funds. A prolonged federal government shutdown of more than one week puts WIC families at risk,” says Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association.
    Whether WIC could continue under a prolonged shutdown would vary depending on whether states could access other contingency funds.
    The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) will last longer but could also run out if a shutdown dragged on.
    There could be missed paychecks and lost jobs
    Perhaps the biggest impacts will be felt by federal workers and active-duty military service members who will not receive a paycheck during a government shutdown. The White House is also threatening mass layoffs (a reduction in force, or RIF) of federal employees, in addition to furlough notices, if a shutdown happens.
    A shutdown would happen toward the end of a pay period, so the first full paycheck missed for federal employees would be Oct. 24, while for the military it would be Oct. 15.
    The only salaries the federal government will continue to pay during a shutdown will be members of Congress and the president, according to the Constitution. However, elected officials can request that their paychecks be deferred while a shutdown is ongoing.
    Federal employees and military members will get back pay once the shutdown is over.
    National parks are a big question mark
    During the 2018-2019 shutdown, the Trump administration kept national parks accessible to the public, even as many National Park Service employees had to stay home.
    At the time, there were reports of damage and trash in the unattended parks. And a Government Accountability Office opinion in September 2019 found that the Trump administration violated federal law when it used entrance fees to keep the parks accessible.
    The weather forecasts will keep coming
    Ahead of past possible shutdowns, the National Weather Service has said it would continue to provide routine forecasts, as well as extreme weather watch and warning information.
    Many other day-to-day weather operations will also continue uninterrupted, including urgent repairs to radar and other key equipment. But a shutdown could delay routine maintenance, upgrades and long-term projects for less critical services, according to the National Weather Service.
    Previous government shutdowns have delayed the processing of long-term weather and climate data at other federal agencies.
    FEMA will keep working, but funding is running low
    Most of employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are considered exempt and will be available for any emergency or disasters.
    But the main funding source for FEMA, the Disaster Relief Fund, is running dangerously low and needs congressional approval for additional funds.
    During a shutdown, FEMA would implement immediate needs funding, and this could mean delays in reimbursements to states and local governments. Additionally, FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program, which will lapse after Sept. 30 unless there is congressional action.
    State-specific impacts [continues]

  9. How convenient…
    Labor Data on Hold If Shutdown Hits
    The Labor Department says key reports, including September jobs, will be paused.
    US funding lapse to halt Labor, Commerce departments’ data activities
    Prolonged shutdown could impact third-quarter US GDP estimate
    September jobs data, August trade and construction data among first shutdown casualties
    Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment may be delayed if CPI report is postponed
    — Reuters

  10. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/politics/doge-federal-workers

    Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work.

    Those who accept must report for duty on October 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid vacation, during which time the GSA in some cases racked up high costs — passed along to taxpayers — to stay in dozens of properties whose leases it had slated for termination or were allowed to expire.

    “Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed,” said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official. “They didn’t have the people they needed to carry out basic functions.”

    GSA was established in the 1940s to centralize the acquisition and management of thousands of federal workplaces. Its return to work request mirrors rehiring efforts at in several agencies targeted by DOGE. Last month, the IRS said it would allow some employees who took a resignation offer to remain on the job. The Labor Department has also brought back some employees who took buyouts, while the National Park Service earlier reinstated a number of purged employees.

    *Gotta wonder if MAGAts timed the rehire to the government shutdown. Anyway, MuskRat should lose his government contracts to offset the waste.

    As for pointing fingers, everyone knows who and what the Eddie Haskell is, and there’s no denying it. The shutdown has corrupt MAGAt prints all over it.

  11. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/world/fbi-kash-patel-gave-new-zealand-officials-3d-printed-guns-intl-hnk

    FBI boss Kash Patel gifted New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws

    On a visit to New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel gave the country’s police and spy bosses gifts of inoperable pistols that were illegal to possess under local gun laws and had to be destroyed, New Zealand law enforcement agencies told The Associated Press.

    The plastic 3D-printed replica pistols formed part of display stands Patel presented to at least three senior New Zealand security officials in July.

    Pistols are tightly restricted weapons under New Zealand law and possessing one requires an additional permit beyond a regular gun license. Law enforcement agencies didn’t specify whether the officials who met with Patel held such permits, but they couldn’t have legally kept the gifts if they didn’t.

    It wasn’t clear what permissions Patel had sought to bring the weapons into the country. A spokesperson for Patel told the AP Tuesday that the FBI would not comment.

    Inoperable weapons are treated as though they’re operable in New Zealand if modifications could make them workable again. The pistols were judged by gun regulators to be potentially operable and were destroyed, New Zealand’s Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told AP in a statement Tuesday.

    Chambers didn’t specify how the weapons had been rendered inoperable before Patel gifted them. Usually this means the temporary disabling of the gun’s firing mechanism.

    *Our ~delightful~ little Kashew Nut, spreading Americana around the globe. We look like effing idiots.

    FDT

  12. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/09/29/trump-gaza-peace-plan-netanyahu/

    Donald Trump will run Gaza with the assistance of Sir Tony Blair as part of the US president’s 20-point plan for “eternal peace in the Middle East”.

    Mr Trump said on Monday that he would oversee a transitional government in the Strip as the head of a new body called the Board of Peace, which Sir Tony would also sit on.

    He said the “leaders of the Arab world” had asked him to be chairman of the body.

    ***
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/breakdown-tony-blairs-bizarre-proposal-run-gaza

    Haaretz has now published a leaked draft plan of what Gaza would look like under Blair’s initiative.

    The plan reveals a hierarchy in which an international board of billionaires and businesspeople sit at the top, while highly vetted “neutral” Palestinian administrators are at the bottom.

  17. Hegseth is actually speaking treason. The military does not “Serve at the pleasure of the President” except in very limited conditions. This phrase is more commonly associated with unelected cabinet members and political appointees who can be removed at any time for any reason.
    For the military, the chain of command and presidential powers are balanced by other factors:
    Oath to the Constitution: All members of the U.S. military swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution, not to an individual president. This oath provides the basis for refusing an order they believe is illegal.
    Chain of command and lawful orders: The military operates under a strict chain of command, with the president at the top. However, service members are only obligated to follow lawful orders. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the federal law that governs the military justice system, holding service members accountable for their actions.
    Civilian control of the military: Civilian control of the military is a core democratic principle that places ultimate responsibility for strategic decisions with civilian authorities, not military leadership. The president is the head of that civilian control, but it is ultimately balanced by the power of Congress.
    Presidential authority to remove officers: While the president retains the constitutional authority to remove commissioned officers, this power has limits and is considered a fundamental component of civilian control of the military. The removal of top officers is a serious step that can attract significant public and congressional scrutiny.
    Separation of powers: Congress also has significant constitutional authority over the military, including the power to declare war, raise and support the armed forces, and make rules for their regulation. This provides an important check on presidential power.

    To top it off, this fool just hinted that he thinks the Geneva Convention is just an inconvenience.

  18. Trail Mix Chat:
    JD Vance keeps pushing the “$ billions for illegals” hoax. We cut it down in real time.

    🔥 Watch the SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN playlist (autoplay):

  19. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Except it doesn’t bend on its own—it bends because we pull it in the direction of justice. What keeps me hopeful during times like these is being surrounded by people who are doing just that.”

    Barrack Obama

  20. Tim Miller:

    “A talk show host who got in a drunken altercation with a hotel staffer at a conference before allegedly assaulting a woman who was not his 2nd or 3rd wife is announcing that soldiers can no longer have beards to guarantee high standards.”

  21. We will be forced to settle for jury-rigged justice and gerrymandered elections and tell ourselves it’s fair.

  28. And the blather continues. Wapo

    President Donald Trump has now been speaking for an hour to military leaders in Quantico, Virginia, with no indication of how much longer his off-the-cuff address will go on.

    Diarrhea mouth.

  29. As for the no beards rule (one year exemption if their CO agrees to it) & then can be kicked out of service if they don’t comply – it’s because certain types of hair tend to cause infected follicles – and it’s not straight hair.

    So, MAGAts, you’ve now got a “War Department” itching to start stuff all over the globe to access gas/oil/minerals/slave labor, AND they are trying to purge non-whites out of military service.

    I guess MAGAts want their sons (because women are also persons non grata in that drunkard’s Army) to go fight and be damaged or killed. This is how their bigotry will bite many of their yt behinds.

    Leaky Pete Kegseth talking about ethics of any kind is laughable. He seems like he took a belt before his presentation…and probably an Imodium. He is a human sweat stain.

  30. try out the chat room Ivy

    Sam, I need to run off to other chores but I will get my act together real soon. 🦹‍♀️

  32. The reviews of the Gathering talks by whoever that tv personality is and mangomoron are not promising. Seems the top brass were quiet and not applauding. No body told the secretary and prez that would happen, even though it was well known.

    Will this be the stunt to get Hegseth fired? I am going to guess it is a big step that way. When I first heard about it I thought that it was a stunt and it was stupid. I still think that, plus the lack of applause or anything from the military brass for sfb is a huge thing. Stupid is too far gone to understand the generals are supposed to be apolitical and do not applaud, or yell, or whistle or acknowledge anything he says or does. He is so small brained he has to be offended to the point of dumping the secretary.

  36. https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fire-generals-military-speech-10804504

    Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn before traveling to Quantico, Virginia, Trump said, “I’m going to be meeting with generals and with admirals and with leaders, and if I don’t like somebody, I’m going to fire him right on the spot.”

    *Many millions of taxpayer dollars to pull Generals to Virginia, just for Leaky Pete & Orange Adolf to talk tough.

    (By the way, Adolf looked like crap warmed over, again. Must be time for another transfusion; check hand for bruises and/or make-up tomorrow.)

    Then, the Generals have to get back to wherever before the government shutdown.

  37. Craig asked me to share with you my monthly readout of Trump poll standings:

    ✅ Current Standing (Approval / Disapproval)

    The Economist / YouGov poll (mid-Sept 2025) puts Trump’s approval at 39 %, disapproval at 57 %, for a net –18.
    YouGov

    Pew Research (August 2025) shows ~38 % approve, ~60 % disapprove.
    Pew Research Center

    Nate Silver’s “Silver Bulletin” aggregate (as of Sept 25, 2025) gives ~43.9 % approval, ~53.3 % disapproval → net ~–9.4.
    Nate Silver

    Reuters / Ipsos: Trump’s approval fell from 42 % to 41 %, amid rising economic concerns.
    Reuters

    So in sum: he’s underwater, with disapproval margins typically in the high single digits to low double digits, depending on the poll.

    🔍 Observations & Trends (from your AI)

    His approval is drifting downward. Economist/YouGov hitting 39 % is reportedly the lowest in his second term so far.
    YouGov

    The gap between approval and disapproval is widening in many polls.

    Economic perceptions seem to be a key drag on his numbers. (Yes, people still care about inflation, cost of living, etc.)

    Among his own voter base, he still retains strong support (less erosion there than among neutrals / swing voters).
    Pew Research Center

    Some polls are more generous (like the aggregate), but the overall picture is not great for Trump.

    MIDWEST BREAKOUT
    🧮 Relative Picture & Risk

    All three states (PA, MI, WI) show Trump’s approval in the red zone (disapproval outweighs approval).

    The deficits aren’t huge (especially in PA & MI), but they are consistent.

    Given that he narrowly won or competed in those states in 2024, losing or slipping in approval there is dangerous territory for the GOP’s future electoral chances.

    – AI Sam

  39. Sorry missed Magat rant on healthcare. He can yammer as much as he likes, but the law is specific. No Federal dollars either direct or through ACA can be used by the undocumented. Individual states can provide funds to community clinics where undocumented are treated covering in part or the whole bill.

    My local one charges on a sliding scale based on household income and they don’t question citizenship or residency, so many undocumented may be treated that way.

    There is this little detail of the Hippocratic oath that most medical types think is important.

  40. MAGAt Man may change his tune if his disability gets cut.

    Undocumented workers pay in about $100 billion in taxes per year via an ITIN. They do not receive Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.

    Bigots gotta bigot.

  42. Calls to Congress made for today. Leaky Pete Kegseth saying that US cities should be used as training grounds. WTF!

    What an absolute sh/tshow. All of the millions wasted on travel and security for Generals could’ve gone to house and help veterans.

  43. he fits the profile: past his prime, losing his hair, angry for no reason, way too much time to argue, wears black because he’s such a tough guy

    Get a doorbell cam

  44. adding this to our video comments…
    Remember: last year Vance tweeted “reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.” It was a false, dehumanizing rumor — and he never took it back.

  45. he literally declared civil war today he needs to be impeached immediately

    shutdown of a government is totally defensible when it has declared war on you

  47. HUD operations
    Funding Disruptions: A government shutdown would halt most HUD operations, affecting rental assistance payments and other essential services. While some funds for the Public Housing Operating Fund have been obligated through November 2025, ongoing operations may still face challenges.

    Staffing Limitations: During a shutdown, HUD would operate with a skeleton staff, with only about 244 of its 8,573 employees continuing to work full-time on essential activities. This limited staffing could delay approvals for funding and routine housing transactions.

    Contingency Plans: HUD has developed contingency plans for potential lapses in funding, which outline how the agency would continue to operate with minimal staff. However, the effectiveness of these plans remains uncertain given the significant reduction in HUD personnel over recent years.

  49. JEFFRIES TO TRUMP:

    “The next time you have something to say to me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video — When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”

  50. Only the MAGAt cult are immune from the truth about the shut down, healthcare, tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, etc.

    Craig – JD admitted that he would make up stories as needed back when the cat/dog buffet was floated.

    Hegseth is unhinged. Orange Adolf isn’t sure if what they show him on TV is real or not. Drug/alcohol abuse abound in this administration. Impeach Adolf for treason so we can oust him and the entire cabinet.

  52. Poobah, don’t lose your fucking mind. I posted this in the comments, repeating here …

    From CNN, Fact checking Trump’s lie about Democrats’ demands to spend on illegal immigrants:

    “…
    Asked for comment, a White House spokesperson pointed to the Democrats’ push to overturn the Republicans’ health care cuts, though that would broaden health care access for immigrants with legal status, not undocumented immigrants.

    What’s more, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded health benefits, including Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP.

    “Medicaid may help cover emergency care at hospitals for undocumented immigrants who would otherwise qualify for the program, but this is not considered health insurance coverage. Less than 1% of total Medicaid spending went toward emergency Medicaid for undocumented immigrants in fiscal year 2023, according to KFF.

    “A number of states use their own funds to provide coverage to children and at least some low-income adults. An earlier version of Trump’s agenda bill contained a provision that would have penalized these states, but it did not make it into the final legislation.”

    Get it? Even the White House admits Trump is wrong. “undocumented immigrants who would otherwise qualify for the program, “

  53. Democrats showed up today. Republicans left & gaveled out. Dereliction of duty by Republicans because they don’t want the folks in their states to have healthcare, etc. Gotta protect the big-money interests.

  56. https://www.rawstory.com/trump-speech-military-leaders/

    “Trump is now saying (and I am not making this up) that the U.S. should build more battleships because of a black-and-white movie he likes,” wrote journalist Philip Bump. “Trump notes than in World War II they were building a ship a day but we don’t build ships anymore. Does he … not realize that the military needs of 2025 are different than those of 1945?”

    “A serving member of the military might be court-martialed for saying in public what Trump did here,” argued journalist James Fallows, reacting to Trump disclosing the U.S. had recently deployed a nuclear submarine near Russia. “The entire *point* of super-quiet submarines is that adversaries do not know where they are. Navy goes to extreme lengths to conceal any clues to their location.”

    “Pathetic,” sighed writer Gary Legum, reacting to Hegseth’s remarks. “Just a pathetic, weak coward overcompensating for his deep insecurities.”

    We all know this ‘warfighters’ talk isn’t about convincing our military to do anything except kill more civilians, specifically American civilians,” argued the LOLGOP account. “That’s the only new thing here.”

    “If I were a would-be dictator whose only civilian check on power had been consumed by total-complete partisan loyalty, something I would definitely do is call an unprecedented in-person meeting of the only people who could stop me and then proceed to illustrate why they should stop me,” wrote journalist Timothy Burke.

    “There have been a lot of rubicons crossed, norms destroyed, principles abandoned, ideals betrayed over the past 10 months but this seems like a truly significant turning point,” added historian Paul Cohen.

    *It does seem like tRUMP & Hegseth pooped the bed this morning.

  60. Chat room opening at 5:30pm for what appears to be last chance to avoid shutdown:

    Sam says, “There is a Senate vote scheduled around 5:30 pm today that is likely that “last stop” you’re referring to.

    What the vote is:

    The Senate will bring up two competing continuing resolutions (CRs) (funding bills) to keep the government open.

    First, they’ll vote on the Democratic proposal. Then, they’ll take up the GOP (House-passed) proposal.

    Each vote will need 60 votes to overcome Senate rules (i.e. to advance the bill / avoid filibuster) in order to avoid a shutdown.

  61. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities that could influence elections while on duty or using government resources. This includes the use of government websites for promoting partisan political views or propaganda. -ai

    https://rollcall.com/2025/09/30/hud-uses-website-to-blame-radical-left-for-looming-government-shutdown/

    The Housing and Urban Development Department’s website on Tuesday is dominated by a large pop-up message placing blame for a partial government shutdown that raises questions about whether the department violated ethics law.

    “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people,” the message says.

  62. Small things to add to climbing costs. Many Medicare Advantage plans come with a small allowance for Over the Counter or food stipends, and the amount can earn small increases with things like gym memberships, annual flu shots, annual checkup etc.

    My base is currently $47 a month and my gym adds $10 to that. Next year it goes down to $40 despite the increase in grocery prices. Little thing but irritating.

  63. JOIN OUR LIVE CHAT at 5:30pm ET — SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN
    This is the Senate’s last chance to keep the lights on. Watch them sweat the 60-vote math, trade useless amendments, and spin us all dizzy in the hallways.

    Join the chatroom (watch + heckle + hop on stage):
    https://trailmix.cc/chat

  66. Mikey’s too cute by half. Just another Republican chickenshit.

    Now I could certainly be wrong, but I ‘m not sure that standing up and saying no will be a winning strategy next year and in 2028 if the point is to win elections. Here’s my thinking. The pain of Americans at present is coming from incompetent and simply cruel leadership in Congress, the WH and SCROTUS, all being imposed by Repugs and the BUB. To allow the Gov’t. to shut down will inflict more pain on more Americans and give Dumbass an excuse to fire thousands of gov’t workers, claiming (as he is) that it’s Dems’ fault for not keeping the lights on. I could see Schumer (forgive me but he is the minority leader) taking up Thune’s offer to negotiate ACA subsidies for the next couple of months and deliver 7 votes, and take to the mics saying that he could not allow Repugs to add more pain to the equation by letting them shut down the government and there was simply no option other than allowing a CR that would allow Dems to negotiate a better position for folks than Dumbass and his Congressional toadies had pushed through with the BUB, using, I might add, the legislative shenanigans they won’t use now. 60 days from now, after the Repugs refuse to provide any relief from the BUB pain, they take back to the mics at Thanksgiving and hang the millstone around Thune, Mikey and Dumbass’ necks. Just noodling here.

  68. In the dark areas of the intertubes are a few men threatening to show Mickies Gay connects. The sad thing is I do not discard those as just noise, but as plausible. A few pictures of his “adopted” son and him from early in their relationship seem to be okay, no six finger hands or different eyes. What bothers me is I don’t care if he is Gay. It bothers me if he was going for young. For a more than a few months I have wondered if his name is in the Epstein papers.

    The cover up is always worse than the crime. That there are questions of his life going to the same side as Epstein and mangomoron is too bad. At least we know what orange idiot has done so far.

  69. Kegseth’s white nationalist garbage isn’t going to play well if US troops have joint maneuvers with non-white troops from other countries.

    Just wondering how long it will take MAGAt moms & dads to realize their sons are going to be drafted, because today’s absolute sh/tshow will not help recruitment.

  73. It’s especially not wrong to lie to a liar who is also a murderer.

    I think that came from some philosopher, maybe Immanuel Kant. I may need to google that.

  74. You do not have to truthfully answer a question that’s illegitimate.

    That came from my old boss, “Machiavelli.”

  75. If you’re being tortured or threatened, then you have a moral or ethical decision. I wouldn’t hold that choice against anyone.

    I do believe this regime is more than capable of inflicting such in order to preserve itself.

  76. Just wondering how long it will take MAGAt moms & dads to realize

    when it effects them personally and not before

  78. Trump & Hegseth speeches today weren’t just flag-waving. They pushed a shift: foreign battlefields ➝ U.S. cities. Trump even called cities “training labs” for troops.

    From our latest Trail Mix Live Chat ⬇️

  79. Axios says

    Shutdown do’s and don’ts

    The Capitol Visitor Center will be closed. CODELs will be on ice, and constituents won’t be able to order flags that have flown at the Capitol.

    But Congress will otherwise function as usual when the federal government shuts down at midnight.
    Zoom in: Parking garages will have normal hours … Senate shuttles will run … cafeterias will be open … staffers can get replacement IDs (but not new ones) … and committee rooms will be open for official work, according to guidance sent this afternoon.

    ✋ But Hill staffers will need to be careful about using the office credit card.
    ✈️ Senators can’t incur new travel expenses, but they can use miles!
    🚥 The first call for chiefs of staff: Deciding which employees are “excepted” from the shutdown and allowed (or required!) to work.

    The theoretical test is whether the job is in support of “the senator in fulfilling their constitutional duties.” In reality, nearly every office declares all its employees “excepted.”
    In this shutdown, everyone will likely be deemed essential. Paid and unpaid interns are still allowed to work.
    Staffers won’t get paid until the shutdown’s over. Lawmakers will.
    The bottom line: Health insurance will continue. If and when the government reopens, staffers will get back pay.

    But for junior aides, a prolonged shutdown can be painful.
    — Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

  82. I hit a cancer milestone, 5 years since my surgery. Now I only need to see her (my doctor) once a year, instead of every 6 months.
    I finally caught the groundhog, plus 2 skunks and one possum. I let them out at the same place, maybe they can hook up and trade stories. No squirrels, they have too many acorns to bury to worry about traps baited with peanuts.

    Jack

  87. All Is not lost.

    This article introduces “U-Turn” as a new type of regime transformation episode in which autocratization is closely followed by and linked to subsequent democratization.

    The analysis presents a systematic empirical overview of patterns and developments of U-Turns. A key finding is that 52% of all autocratization episodes become U-Turns, which increases to 73% when focusing on the last 30 years. The vast majority of U-Turns (90%) lead to restored or even improved levels of democracy. The data on U-Turn episodes opens up new avenues for research on autocratization and democratization that were previously treated as isolated processes, particularly it could help us understand why some processes of autocratization trigger a successful pro-democratic backlash – a critical question during the starkest-ever wave of autocratization.

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    Jack

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