82 thoughts on “The Shield”

  1. Political cartooning ain’t dead, yet
    Though the First Amendment can’t protect us from the corporate bean counters
    by David Horsey 8/30/26
    In 1831, French caricaturist Charles Philipon was sentenced to six months in prison and fined 2,000 francs for drawing cartoons lampooning King Louis-Philippe. At his trial, Philipon gained notoriety for demonstrating how to draw the king as a pear. This was at a time when, in Parisian slang, the word for pear — poire — meant “fool” or “fathead.”
    I have drawn Bill Clinton in his underwear. I’ve drawn George W. Bush with Karl Rove popping out of his head. I’ve drawn Barack Obama as a drone. And I’ve drawn Donald Trump as a whining baby in diapers, a mafia don, a dragon, a clown, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Gollum and the Wicked Witch (not as a pear — yet), but I have never gone to jail for my caricatures of powerful leaders.
    And neither has any other American cartoonist. My colleagues and I are free to affront because we draw political cartoons in a country where freedom of speech is usually respected and almost always backed up by the courts. Satire is protected by the First Amendment.
    This is not true in most countries. There are many examples of cartoonists being jailed, censored, physically attacked or forced to flee their homeland because something they drew offended their government or some militant group. One of the most horrific incidents was the massacre of cartoonists at the French satire magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in 2015. They were murdered by Islamic extremists outraged by the artists’ depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.
    And yet, even when under grave threat, political cartoonists cannot stop.
    American political cartooning may have come into its own when a German immigrant, Thomas Nast, bravely took on the corrupt New York political bosses and robber barons of the Gilded Age, but there were cartoonists at work in the United States even before there was a United States, including Benjamin Franklin who created the most famous cartoon of his time; a drawing of a segmented snake representing the disunited colonies with the caption: “Join or die.”
    In the 20th century, it was almost expected that any newspaper, even of modest size, would employ an editorial cartoonist. Some were primarily illustrators of their publishers ideas, but there were also plenty of bold cartoonists who defied authority to expose the truth through their work.
    As a young G.I. drawing for Stars and Stripes during World War II, Bill Mauldin enraged the prickly Gen. George Patton with his gritty depictions of life in the foxholes, but Mauldin did not bend and, even in the military in the midst of a war, the First Amendment protected him.
    Herblock had a 50-year career cartooning for the Washington Post, bravely skewering Sen. Joseph McCarthy for his political witch hunts in the early 1950s and showing no mercy to President Richard Nixon as the Watergate scandal unfolded in the 1970s. And Herblock was never silenced, either.
    The one thing that has been true since even before Philipon drew the French monarch as a pear is that political cartoons always make someone angry. Creating outrage is unavoidable in the practice of what the late, great political cartoonist Pat Oliphant dubbed “the jugular art.” At least if it is done right. Credit is due the many stalwart publishers who employed and defended their editorial cartoonists, even though they knew the cartoons were offending half their readers on a daily basis.
    Perhaps no Americans have been more free to express their opinions than political cartoonists, despite the complaints and anger of presidents, governors, mayors and a fair share of voters. But the First Amendment has been unable to protect cartoonists from their most effective censors: bean counters.
    As the newspaper industry has imploded, staff editorial cartoonists have often been the first to be laid off because the guys in suits who do the numbers cannot imagine why any newspaper needs political cartoons.
    And winning Pulitzer Prizes does not provide any protection.
    Hearst Newspapers dumped a very popular, Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist, Nick Anderson, from the Houston Chronicle simply to save a few bucks. The McClatchy newspaper group dumped three Pulitzer winners in one day in 2023, Jack Ohman of the Sacramento Bee, Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kevin Siers of the Charlotte Observer.
    Then there are the stellar cartoonists who have lost their jobs for doing them too well. Rob Rogers was fired from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for drawing critical cartoons of President Trump (his publisher was a Trump fan). Kevin Kallaugher had to part ways with the Baltimore Sun when the newspaper was purchased by a Trump booster. And, most recently, Ann Telnaes left the Washington Post because her editor refused to run a cartoon critical of the Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos.
    Newspaper editorial cartooning is in its twilight, but political cartoons are not dead. All of the great cartoonists who recently lost their platforms have found a new one on Substack. Telnaes, in fact, makes more money from her Substack page than she did at the Post.
    That’s the thing about free speech. Nobody can permanently shut us up.

  2. click here for Telnaes latest
    Trump and toilet paper
    Coming soon to a Trump MAGA rally near you
    Ann Telnaes
    Aug 29, 2026
    “US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada” The Guardian reports.
    Remember this in his first term?

  3. Now he’s posting fake war videos to go with this lies???

    DUBAI, Aug 31 (Reuters) – An Iranian official dismissed ​as “laughable” on Monday a post by Donald Trump of an AI-generated video clip that the U.S. president said showed Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens”.
    Hours after Sunday’s post, there was no ‌evidence Kharg had been attacked. The White House and the U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

  4. Here is Trump’s fake war video.
    DUBAI, Aug 31 (Reuters) – An Iranian official dismissed ​as “laughable” on Monday a post by Donald Trump of an AI-generated video clip that the U.S. president said showed Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens”. Hours after Sunday’s post, there was no ‌evidence Kharg had been attacked. The White House and the U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours.

  5. Rahm Emanuel was just on Morning Joe and well…in 15 minutes he provided solutions to international as well as domestic situations.
    He is a very credible person who almost certainly will fight to gain the 2028 nod as Presidential candidate.

  6. It’s not even good AI.

    So in the White House’s indefatigable efforts to distract from high prices and its incompetent governance, to say nothing of its in-your-face corruption, it brings you its war on bike lanes. NYT

    There are idiots and there are fucking idiots. The White House is full of the latter.

    Do D.E.I. Bike Paths Exist? The Trump Administration Says Yes.
    The administration has revoked funding for bike paths, and encouraged removing some. A cycling advocate said it is playing on the idea of “that dork on a bike.”

    By Richard FaussetVisuals by Alex Kent
    Aug. 31, 2026

    Four years ago, after Joe Biden fell from a bike, Donald Trump made a pledge to the American people.

    “I will never, ever ride a bicycle,” he declared.

    The joke landed because Mr. Trump is known to be more of a limo-and-golf-cart sort of guy. But more recently, his administration has begun acting on its deep aversion to cycling, revoking federal grants for what it calls “D.E.I. bike lanes.”

    In a high-profile move earlier this year, the administration even tried to remove a bike lane near the White House.

    Sean Duffy, Mr. Trump’s transportation secretary, has argued that when bike lanes cut into space for cars and trucks, the result is more congestion, “longer travel times and wasted fuel.”

    But Mr. Duffy and his colleagues have also deployed rhetoric that suggests the bicycle is hopelessly lefty, belonging in the same category as green-haired baristas, Rosie O’Donnell and yard signs professing that love is love.

    Last month, the Transportation Department told National Public Radio that liberals believe “that everyone should ride a bike to their shoebox-sized apartment to eat crickets to achieve a phony climate agenda.”

    The attacks are depressing to longtime cycling advocates like Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “There is something there that they’re playing on, which is ‘Look at that dork on a bike,’” Mr. Nesper said.

    Whether this strategy pays off politically remains to be seen. A 2025 YouGov poll showed that 76 percent of Americans supported bike lanes in and around where they live, including 66 percent of Republicans. But it also showed that only a third of Americans are pining for more.

    As it is, many American communities, regardless of politics, have embraced bike-friendly policies, on the grounds that bikes are good for the planet, for the body, and address congestion by taking cars off the road. Often inspired by bike-friendly European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam, the moves are a major shift in the way American communities approach transportation planning.

    There are now 4,400 directional miles of protected bike lanes today, up from 108 directional miles in 2000, according to PeopleForBikes, an industry trade association and advocacy group. (Directional miles are miles that can be traveled in one direction; with a two-way bike lane one mile long counting as two directional miles.)

    The group notes that more than 25,000 miles of rail beds have been converted to bike-friendly trails, double what it was two decades ago.

    But the Trump administration is trying to put the brakes on the trend.

    In Nashville, the future of an ambitious series of bike lanes, called the East Nashville Spokes project, is up in the air after the Trump administration froze a $9.3 million grant, prompting a court battle that remains unresolved.

    In Washington this year, the administration announced it was tearing out the 15th Street bike lane as “part of the president’s initiative to revitalize” the city. But in a 61-page ruling in April, Judge Amy Berman Jackson temporarily blocked the demolition plan citing an “absence of reasoned decision-making” in justifying the removal.

    In Fairfield, Ala., a majority Black city of 9,500 people southwest of Birmingham, the administration canceled an $11.7 million grant for a bike and walking path, originally awarded under the Biden administration as part of a “sustainability and equity” program. Advocates had said that 17 percent of the families in the area do not have access to a car.

    In an interview, the city’s mayor Herman Carnes, Jr. said he did not know why the grant had been canceled. “It got ripped away from us,” he said.

    Bike lanes have long enjoyed bipartisan support. In 1967, Ronald Reagan, then the Republican governor of California, signed a law that for the first time allowed city governments to create bicycle lanes.

    Many American communities, regardless of politics, have embraced bike-friendly policies.

    Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as transportation secretary under President Barack Obama, avidly supported federal money for bike projects. He once wrote of “the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized.”

    But as the bike-lane revolution picked up steam — along with calls to make cities more walkable — some conservatives feared that it amounted to a series of intrusive social engineering schemes.

    In a few conservative circles, city planning even became falsely linked to dark conspiracies about Agenda 21, a nonbinding United Nations resolution encouraging sustainable development, and the voguish concept of the “15-minute city,” which said that people should be able to walk or bike to amenities like grocery stories in 15 minutes or so.

    It was not long before the bicycle itself was portrayed as a political cause supported by left-wing dingbats. In 2020, Matt Walsh, the right-wing pundit, painted cyclists as childish hobbyists.

    “If you want to play with your bike, go to a park, or a bike trail in the woods, or maybe daddy can take you down to the tennis court near the playground so you can ride your Big Wheel,” he said.

    Last year, President Trump poked fun of Pete Buttigieg, the Biden-era transportation secretary, for riding a bike, tossing in a gratuitous reminder that Mr. Buttigieg is gay.

    “Buttigieg, who has no clue, you know, he drives to work on his bicycle, in all fairness, with his husband on the back, “which is a nice, loving relationship,” he said.

    At a conference last year, Mr. Duffy suggested that the idea of European bike-friendly cities were unsuitable for Americans. “We’re not Europe,” he said, citing vehicle sizes. “I don’t think we should necessarily buy into the European model.”

    This summer, Mr. Duffy pushed for more change. On July 22, Mr. Duffy wrote a letter to a group of senators, urging them to restrict future funding for bike lanes and support removing ones “that contribute to congestion.”

    A 2025 YouGov poll showed that 76 percent of Americans support bike lanes in and around where they live.

    But it also showed that only a third of Americans are pining for more.
    To Mr. Nester, the letter represented something “much worse” than canceling or stalling individual grants. Mr. Duffy, he said, was now calling for ripping out existing lanes and advocating for “a systematic change in transportation law to restrict the funding of bike lanes overall.”

    Hostility to bike lanes, in fact, can be found in surprising places.

    In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu, a progressive Democrat, had put in miles of lanes, but eventually slowed down because of complaints.

    Her administration is currently navigating opposition in some traditionally Black neighborhoods to a plan to redesign Blue Hill Avenue, a major thoroughfare. Much of the criticism has been directed at a proposal for a center-running bus lane, which some say will create new traffic problems.

    But a plan to add bike lanes has also rankled critics like Reggie Stewart, a real estate agent and climate and environmental justice chair of the Boston NAACP.

    “You’re taking away parking and adding to an already congested corridor,” he said.

    Mr. Stewart and others are now asking the Trump administration to rescind an $80 million grant to fund the project.
    “Ironically, in my climate and environmental justice work, we’re opposing a lot of what Trump is for,” Mr. Stewart said.

    But in this case, he said, the president might be an ally.

    “Mayor Wu,” Mr. Stewart said, “falls into that category of liberals who think they know best without having real conversations with the people affected.”

    Marcela Dwork, a spokeswoman for the city of Boston, said officials would continue “to work with community members” on the design proposal, with a number of meetings scheduled for September.

  7. This madness is on the Israeli people as a whole if they don’t throw out Netanhayu in the Oct. 27 Knesset elections…
    Even Former Israeli Generals See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat.
    “A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support. “Once a society behaves this way,” one said, “that society is doomed.” — New York Times Free Link

  9. Craig, add taunts like this to knesset (and Dodo’s) woes
    Iran’s Araghchi accuses ‘serpent’ Netanyahu of tricking US into war
    TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “serpent”, accusing him of tricking Washington into going to war with the Islamic republic.

    “In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the U.S. Administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel. Netanyahu explicitly laughs about how he ‘influenced’ America through 1,000 hours of airtime on U.S. networks,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

    “In English, he praises POTUS’ leadership. Serpent,” he added.

    War broke out between Iran and the US on Feb 28, with US-Israeli strikes killing the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials.

    Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict continued to spread.

    An April ceasefire put an end to the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks mainly near the Strait of Hormuz have dimmed prospects for a final peace agreement, and the US recently shifted toward a campaign of what it calls “economic asphyxiation” of Iran.

    The US struck the Iranian island of Larak late Sunday, its first such attack in a month.

    In response, Iran says it launched attacks on bases in Jordan and the UAE used by the US military.

    Last week, Netanyahu dismissed any prospect of an Iran-US deal and called Iran’s leaders “savages”.

  10. Yep Pat, it’s spooky how much i agree with murderous Iranian despots these days.

    The Israeli and American voters face a severe test in the fall elections — if we don’t repudiate our monstrous controlling political parties, what comes next is on our heads.

  14. wisely, nobody uses the bike lines around here because it’s just too dangerous sharing the roads with monster trucks and distracted drivers

    i imagine they might eventually become ebike lanes

    i won’t lament the demise of spandex cycling in traffic, good riddance

  15. We were the evil-doers in 1953 when we and the Brit’s “installed” the Shah of Iran after getting rid of Iran’s elected leader, Mossadeq who wanted to take over Iran’s oil production. The Shah was murderer of so many Iranians that the ayatollahs were later able to take back power.

    Consequences have consequences upon their backs to bite ‘em.
    We caused all that misery and then lost the oil anyway.

    Yeah, I like Falk and would accept him as Columbo in character, but as for conversation would rather see Levinson and Link.
    My table list was much too spur of the moment to be an effective representation of who I’d really want. Besides I’d need a solid month of state dinners to get them all in. lol

  18. you’d have to imagine a table of history’s greats would be like “who invited this blog commenter”

  19. We didn’t watch 9 to 5 last night… instead, we watched an episode of Food Truck Race on the Food network that was filmed in Dollywood.

  21. Haha….if they wanted to see my credentials I’d show ‘em my expired AFM Local #257 Union card, and tell ‘em, “You no like? Hit the road! This waiting list goes around the damn block.”

  25. Yeah, Columbo. One of the show’s appeals to me is the fact that it spans over 30 year—from ‘68 to 2003 or so. Another is the wide array of murderers, victims, and bit players.
    “Columbo People” get really upset when anyone suggests that some actor besides Falk could play Lt Columbo. Falk plays a big part in his delivery but Levinson and Link really fine tuned that character before Falk ever got to it. Most of the Columbo quirks are there in the beginning. In the end Falk got to be such a pain in the ass about it that Lev and Link basically turned it over to him, but I think that there are a shit-ton of actors who could do that part.

  26. Today in the Diner…
    1. Sherrod Brown & Amy Acton Face Attacks
    2. The Fake Trump AI Video Nobody Expected
    3. Discounted Beef & The Epstein Files

    Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton face intense attack ads in Ohio. We also break down Trump’s fake AI island video and Ted Cruz on the Epstein files.

    We are digging into the muddy waters of the Ohio races today. Vivek Ramaswamy is funding attack ads against Dr. Amy Acton in the governor’s race, slicing up her speeches to make her look incompetent. Meanwhile, Senator Sherrod Brown is battling it out over immigration ads involving Jon Husted, trying to survive a brutal fight for Democracy.

    On the national front, we are trying to decode Donald Trump and his bizarre AI generated video of an island attack. Is it a distraction from Ted Cruz bringing up the Epstein files, or just more chaos? We also check in on Jamie Raskin at the Iowa State Fair and give a shoutout to Abigail Disney for taking a stand.

    To wash it all down, we debate the culinary merits of the Minnesota State Fair, question the sudden influx of discounted imported beef angering local ranchers, and introduce you to Nene, the 16 year old Thai rocker tearing up the stage on Americas Got Talent.

    Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
    Website: https://trailmix.cc
    Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    04:30 Amy Acton vs Vivek Ramaswamy
    12:10 Minnesota State Fair Foods
    16:40 Jamie Raskin in Iowa
    19:50 Nene on Americas Got Talent
    23:30 Trump Fake AI Video
    28:40 Ted Cruz on Epstein Files
    34:00 King of Norway Tribute
    44:50 Sherrod Brown Senate Race
    48:50 Abigail Disney
    51:30 Discounted Beef Backlash
    56:00 Mary Peltola and Angie Nixon
    — Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted. (Gemini Pro)

  27. For the ranchers (and others) who are finally face-to-face with the leopard. We tried to warn you about tRUMP.

  28. Texas GOP stunned as Democrat flips 30-year Republican stronghold Trump won by 17 points

    Texas GOP stunned as Democrat flips 30-year Republican stronghold Trump won by 17 points

    Taylor Rehmet won a special election runoff for a Fort Worth-area state Senate seat that Republicans had held for more than 30 years. The result attracted attention because Donald Trump had carried the district by 17 points two years earlier and had endorsed the Republican candidate.

  30. Democrat running against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick accuses him, Gov. Abbott of fiscal mismanagement

    *TX does not have a state income tax.

    “I don’t want an income tax,” Goodwin told the Current during an interview. “We already have enough revenue. Texas is the eighth-largest economy in the world. We have the funds if we spend them in the right way.”

    “This is a place where you can still dream the American dream, the Texas dream,” Patrick said in the TV spot. “But Vikki Goodwin, she wants to go in a different, less-prosperous direction. She wants a state income tax, number one, first and foremost.”

    Goodwin, who’s served in the House since 2019, said Patrick’s accusation shows he’s scared.

  31. The public servant without care for wealth, status, or admiration would be a good character for these times

  35. https://bigtex.com/the-state-fair-of-texas-announces-2026-big-tex-choice-awards-finalists/

    *This one gets my vote:

    A warm waffle cone fresh off the iron is dipped in white chocolate, rolled in buttery Texas pecan praline, crushed Biscoff® cookies, and freeze-dried strawberries, and filled with homemade, creamy scoopable cookie butter cheesecake. The TEXAS PECAN PRALINE CHEESECAKE CONE is topped with a pinch of sea salt, whipped cream, Biscoff® crumble, warm cookie butter drizzle, white chocolate sauce, and finished with a signature Biscoff® cookie, making for one unforgettable State Fair bite.

    While these 15 creations earned a spot in the finalist round, the State Fair of Texas also recognizes this year’s semi-finalists whose innovative entries will still make their debut at the 2026 State Fair, as new foods. Fairgoers can look forward to enjoying these creative new foods throughout the Fair:

    • All Shook Up
    • Butter-Dipped Toffee Crunch Nutty Bar
    • Deep Fried Thai Tea Tres Leches Cake
    • Dirty Dr Pepper® Do-Si-Do Float
    • Fried Gobbler Roll
    • Limonata Fresca Float
    • Loaded Lone Star Rings
    • Love Me Jam Sandwich
    • Mango Strawberry Shortcake
    • Matcha Parfait
    • Midnight Ruby Rush
    • Soft Serve Smoked Peach Bourbon
    Smash
    • The Niece
    • Triple Chocolate Flautas
    • Twinkle Twinkle Brisket Star

  36. https://substack.com/@jamestalarico/p-213213329

    From Talarico’s Substack:
    “When I was growing up, Republicans in Texas would win by 25-30 points.

    In 2018, Beto got within 2.6 of beating Ted Cruz.

    That was the last Trump midterm. I think the bipartisan backlash to the extremism and corruption in our government is bigger now than it was in 2018. On top of that, I didn’t think it was possible to find a candidate worse than Ted Cruz – but Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America.”

  37. Check out Paxton’s securities fraud mug shot and details further down that page.
    His name isn’t Ken.
    It’s Warren.
    Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr.

  40. https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/leaders-china-russia-india-among-040028169.html

    Leaders of China, Russia and India are among heads of state meeting to counter US influence

    The leaders of China, Russia and India gathered with other heads of state in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group billed as a counterweight to U.S. global influence.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending the events in Bishkek, the capital of the Central Asian nation.

    Putin met separately with Xi and Modi in two of the many bilateral sessions on the sidelines of the summit. Putin affirmed to Xi Moscow’s readiness to make the visa-free regime with China permanent, and he said Russia’s relationship with India is strengthening.

    Russia, now 4½ years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Iran, six months into a war with the United States and Israel, see the summit as an important platform to strengthen their relations with non-Western partners.

    *NOPE! USrael is the aggressor against Iran. Do better AP!

  43. Looks like the White House and especially the Pentagon is leaking like a faucet turned on full.
    From Wapo, link

    Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, **including the U.S. homeland**, according to people familiar with a recent assessment prepared for the Pentagon chief.

    the emphasis added is mine just in case you missed the lead. .

    Jack

  44. What was it that Neil Young said? Something like, “Look at MF’s on the run in the twenty-first centureeee

  48. Poobah, prolly not the thrill he was seeking – hell, I know people who own and carry a Mont Blanc pen, OK, a couple of guys. I also know some guys who invest small fortunes in watches, but do not know anyone who owns or wears a Hublot Classic Fusion (had to look it up). I do have a friend who bought a Porsche 911 cabriolet (albeit 15 years old) and paid about that for it. I’d rather have the Porsche.

  49. https://totalnews.com/this-extremely-wealthy-neighborhood-has-remained-out-of-sight-from-curious-onlookers-and-google-maps-for-years-until-now/

    North Oaks, an exclusive and ultra-wealthy community in Minnesota, was so secret that it was the only place not visible on Google Maps.

    That changed recently when a social media influencer used a drone to capture aerial footage of the area, breaking decades of digital concealment.

    The viral video on YouTube showcased sprawling multi-million dollar homes, well-maintained roads, and notably, no “no trespassing” signs at any of the entrances.

    Given that North Oaks is one of the wealthiest zip codes in the U.S., its obscurity comes as a surprise.

    In 2008, the North Oaks City Council took action against Google when it found its neighborhood visible on Street View. They threatened legal action unless the images were removed, showcasing even tech giants must adhere to their rules.

    Google complied and removed the images, with representatives noting it was likely the first time a town had made such a request.

    Despite this setback, Kerr discovered a loophole regarding airspace ownership. After getting FAA approval, he flew a drone over North Oaks, staying within his line of sight.

    In the video, he remarked, “North Oaks didn’t ban mapping; they just banned trespassing.”

    To sidestep the abundance of surveillance, he even placed an ad on Craigslist seeking access from residents. A woman, going by Maggie Smith, agreed to let him enter West Rec Park for $10.

    Once inside, he managed to capture footage of the striking homes and successfully mapped the community, noting they are technically private property.

  50. This MN neighborhood is the one a guy flew a drone over with his phone attached and placed an order; it cost $8 less than the same order placed outside the gates. There is a poor tax.

  53. It is hot out. The thermometer by my back door, north side in the shade. 104.
    Now there is a heat warning for you. Warning folks that it is going to be 90 is silly but when you hit 100 you had better take care and stay hydrated.
    That is spoken as a person who has done hard work in todays kind of heat.
    If you require AC all the time maybe you need to stay indoors today.
    But I’m going out and do a little work. Not much though. I’ve already went out and picked a grocery sack full of garden truck. Now I’m going to do a little spot watering on some of my shade garden, It is very dry out there.

    Jack

  55. Craig
    Don’t confuse the Pentagon with the military.
    I suspect if you ask the military, what you would get is a hard to convert to text look and maybe an eye roll.
    But I’ll bet the political side of the Pentagon is struggling to square that circle.

    Jack

  56. apparently it’s hummingbird mating season here which is fun, they’re dancing all around the air

    lol one just buzzed my head as i posted that

  59. Mass Lobbying Event

    Flare USA is listing this as “October Surprise.”

    October 6: Pre-Lobbying Kickoff. Let’s chat about impeachment, get organized for mass lobbying, and get ready to demand accountability.
    October 7: Flood the Halls! It’s time for mass lobbying for impeachment. Let’s visit every Representative’s and Senator’s office!
    October 8: Accountability visits. We’re following up at select Congressional offices for round two. Look the part by wearing business attire, but bring your attitude.

  60. The Dolly: A True Original Musical window card isn’t available yet, but I’m grabbing one for my wall as soon as it is available.

  61. With Labor Day kickoff approaching I am focusing on winning 10 Senate races for a 55-45 Democratic caucus majority. Let’s go!

    • Alaska: Mary Peltola (D) vs. Dan Sullivan (R)
    • Georgia: Jon Ossoff (D) vs. Mike Collins (R)
    • Iowa: Josh Turek (D) vs. Ashley Hinson (R)
    • Maine: Troy Jackson (D) vs. Susan Collins (R)
    • Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed (D) vs. Mike Rogers (R)
    • Nebraska: Dan Osborn (I) vs. Pete Ricketts (R)
    • North Carolina: Roy Cooper (D) vs. Michael Whatley (R)
    • Ohio: Sherrod Brown (D) vs. Jon Husted (R)
    • South Carolina: Dr. Annie Andrews (D) vs. Darline Graham (R)
    • Texas: James Talarico (D) vs. Ken Paxton (R)

  65. https://www.gadgetreview.com/ice-plans-to-spend-up-to-2-million-on-boston-dynamics-robot-dogs

    ICE Plans to Spend Up to $2 Million on Boston Dynamics Robot Dogs

    At roughly $75,000 per robot, that figure likely puts multiple units in the field — not just a single prototype gathering dust in a storage room — a trend also visible in the market for the humanoid robot sector, where high unit costs have not slowed procurement momentum.

    ICE plans to buy robot ‘dogs’ for some immigration enforcement operations
    The doglike robots are equipped with cameras and sensors that can detect chemicals and would be used in situations that could be unsafe for officers, a DHS official says.

  66. https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/four-house-democrats-put-forward-their-own-resolution-condemning-the-dsa/

    Four House Democrats Put Forward Their Own Resolution Condemning the DSA

    Four House Democrats put forward their own resolution on Monday to condemn the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in response to a GOP effort to force Democrats to vote on a similar resolution put forward by Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO) last week.

    Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) put forward an amendment to Crank’s resolution that explicitly condemns both socialism and the DSA.

    Crank told Fox News digital last week that he wanted to force Democrats to go on the record with his resolution.

    “I keep hearing people like Hakeem Jeffries and others in the Congress saying that they oppose the DSA. Let’s see if they’re willing to vote for a resolution that would oppose them,” Crank said. Crank’s resolution, however, included a version of the SAVE Act, President Donald Trump’s controversial voter-ID bill. The amendment offered by the four Democrats removes that part of the resolution, allowing for a more straight-up and down vote on the text condemning the DSA.

    *CORPORATE DEMOCRATS HATE AMERICANS. THIS IS DISGUSTING, BUT NOT SURPRISING.

  67. The argument Dems need to make is against Republicans who are bought and paid for by Israel and billionaires. They just told us who they are. I have calls to make!

  68. JOSH
    GOTTHEIMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE [D] NJ-05
    $2,328,664
    FROM PRO-ISRAEL PACS
    ***

    HILLARY SCHOLTEN
    U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DI
    MI-03
    $413,999
    FROM PRO-ISRAEL PACS
    ***

    JARED
    MOSKOWITZ U.S. REPRESENTATIVE [D]
    FL-23
    $833,288
    FROM PRO-ISRAEL PACS
    ***

    TOM
    SUOZZI
    U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DI
    NY-03
    $605,438
    SPENT BY PRO-ISRAEL PACS
    Donations: $515,878
    Ind. Expenditures: $89,560

  69. Corporate Dems have to learn that it’s no longer business as usual. They should go try to get a spot in the Knesset.

  71. Internet users roast Ken Paxton’s outfit choice for San Antonio block walk

    Internet users roast Ken Paxton’s outfit choice for San Antonio block walk

    ‘Nothing says you understand the affordability crisis like wearing a $41,000 watch and a Four Seasons polo,’ Paxton’s rival, Democrat James Talarico, tweeted.

    *How does anyone spend that much money on a shirt and a watch and still look like…that…and also have nothing to say? VIDEO IN LINK (and the Paxton War Room put up the video – that’s all they’ve got). Cornyn is a bowl of oatmeal, and Paxton is whatever is even more boring…but with purple sprinkles.

  73. My outstanding women table:
    Head of table: Bella Abzug
    Billie Holiday
    Gretchen Whitmer
    Vanessa Redgrave
    Jane Fonda
    Kathy Hochul
    Joan Baez
    Nancy Wilson (Jazz and ballad singer)
    Mrs. Marguerite Sharp ( my Grade 5 teacher)
    Elizabeth Taylor
    Jamie Jesse W. 😊

  74. Trump Plays Zero Chess:

    Stop acting like Trump has a master plan. Kissinger could have been talking about Trump: never assume he actually has a strategy.

    🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu

  75. he does gave a master plan, it’s called project 2025, fulfilling agenda items accordingly

    Domineering the western hemisphere is another deliberate strategy

    stop thinking he took all control by accident

  79. Those four Dems (and any who side with them), are misreading the country.
    Representatives Crank (R) set them up. This is a loyalty test to the Epstein parasite class and a foreign state (Israel); he wants them to go on record as selling out their constituents before the midterms.
    If there’s a way to lose while holding all of the good cards, Dems will find a way.

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