We no longer have a figurative war on democracy. It is a real war that is waging on United States citizens and beyond.
We've turned another dark corner, my fellow Americans.
"The Enemy Within"
It was a scary meeting at Quantico, where top brass from all branches of the military left their posts around the globe and convened at the request of Whiskey Pete.
Nine months in, and we're headlong into an authoritarian regime. It just keeps getting worse. This one meeting will be its own chapter in the history books. It was that dark and disturbing. They all but said outright, "Good morning, generals. We are now running a dictatorship. We plan a military coup and we insist that you fall in line."
Hennessey Hegseth performed a disturbing and insulting one-man show to the generals and admirals in the audience.
Hey, Geneva Convention! Suck ma dick!
Geez, laws are just so overbearing!
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."
Hegseth: "Should our enemies choose foolishly to challenge us, they will be crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department. To our enemies, FAFO."
Hegseth: "As history teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace and those who are willing to wage war to defend it. That's why pacifism is so naive and dangerous."
Hegseth: "A few months ago I was at the White House when President Trump announced his liberation day for America's trade policy. It was a landmark day. Well, today is another liberation day. The liberation of America's warriors ... you kill people and break things for a living."
Hegseth: "When it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those standards must be high and gender neutral. If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women for some combat jobs, so be it."
Hegseth: "Any place where tried & true physical standards were altered, especially since 15 when combat arms standards were changed to ensure females could qualify, must be returned to their original standard. Other standards have been manipulated to hit racial quotas, which is just as unacceptable"
He lambasted "fat" generals and admirals and railed against "beardos." He outlined a hypermasculine fighting force as the ideal, effectively insulting and diminishing our fighting forces. I'm not exactly sure what his goal was, other than perhaps setting the stage to return to the dark days of disallowing LGBTQ people and women from joining.
That doesn't make America great.
Women.
I don't need to remind my readers that women soldiers and sailors have contributed immeasurably to the defense of our nation. Fuck this asshole who diminishes their contributions.
If anyone needs a refresher on the history of women in the United States military, here's a start.
This jackass needs to resign.
A prayer.
Hello! First Amendement!?
And a threat.
Hegseth: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, they you should do the honorable thing and resign."
The Commander-in-Cheat's speech was more unhinged. He brought out his usual laundry-list of grievances, because he just cannot vary from them. But he also spewed some disturbing dark rhetoric.
Because the military is supposed to be non-partisan, the esteemed audience of top military leaders, brought from thousands of miles away, sat stoically and listened. There was no applause, or really any response. When there was a smattering of laughter early on, he shushed them. "You're not allowed to do that."
And so, they sat quietly. No applause, no cheers, no laughs, no groans, nothing.
Makes sense. They have been trained to be stoic and neutral in the face of their superiors, and holy cow! in the face of battle, from day one of boot camp (or, in most of their cases, day one of the Academy). And given their respect for non-partisanship, their adherence to calm and quiet made sense.
Cadet Bonespurs is their Commander-in-Beef after all, so decorum wins, as befitting a soldier.
Trumplethinskin could not stand that they did not applaud when he entered. Surely he expected cheers, yells of "War! Fuck yeah!" and clamors to grab their rifles? After all, Piña Colada Pete got them all warmed up for him.
In short, the meeting showcased a small, pale, deranged little strongman facing a sea of great, decorated, controlled, strong men and women.
Here are a few clips of him sleepwalking through the remarks. These clips are not in order, there's a lot of them, and it's hard to watch, but it's important to witness. His whole speech can be found here.
Desperation.
Please like me! Please!
And if you don't, watch your back.
Trump to a room of generals: "I've never walked into a room so silent before. Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud."
He has redefined America's enemies to his perceived enemies. Anyone who disagrees with him is fair game. And he is priming his generals to carry out his desire to kill (cuz that is what the military is designed to do!) dissenters. It's as simple as that.
The following clips are not-at-all-veiled threats to any dissenting voice.
(I apologize for repeats. They don't show in my draft version! I can't figure it out)
Trump to generals: "America is under invasion from within. We're under invasion from within. No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in any ways because they don't wear uniforms. At least when they're wearing a uniform you can take them out."
Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"
Trump wraps up a speech to military leaders that represented a major escalation of his effort to weaponize the armed forces into a tool he can use to violently quash domestic dissent. Hard to imagine how anyone with a shred of dignity can keep serving after this, which of course is the point.
Trump declares war on Americans: "Our history is filled with military heroes who took on all enemies foreign and domestic. That's what the oath says -- foreign and domestic. Well we also have domestic."
Trump to generals: "Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is gonna be a big thing for the people in this room, because it's the enemy from within & we have to handle it before it gets out of control"
Trump to top military officials: "I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military. National Guard, but our military. Because we're going into Chicago very soon. That's a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor."
Though this language mirrors other authoritarians – and even a casual student of history recognizes "the enemy within" as one of Adolph Hitler's talking points – our body of military leaders is decidedly not like the military leaders under other dictators. In Hitler's case, the social milieu of antisemitism ran deep and wide and permeated the military. Hitler's officers were mostly from the aristocracy and had been informed by the brutalities of WWI.
Our leaders, in contrast, were wrought under the promise of the freedoms afforded by the Constitution. They are ordinary citizens, with the common bond of loving the United States and all her warts, and swearing a sacred oath to protect the United States Constitution.
Though our military leaders' careers and life purpose is to prepare for war, I am confident that 99% of them do not want war. With anyone, let alone with the citizens of their own country. Most of them have seen battle. They know war is ugly. They do not relish "killing people and breaking things."
They know that they must not follow illegal orders, and they wouldn't have all those stripes, stars, bars, and ribbons if they were not disciplined, moral Americans. They are truly the best of us.
These leaders have served and led troops through Biden years, Orange years, Obama years, Bush years. And they'll be here when the last of the orange stain is being scrubbed off the sheets in the Lincoln bedroom.
Sure, some are conservative, and some may love their Commander-in-Grief. I don't think even those folks would go rogue and order some illegal shit. I hope I'm not wrong! And I hope we can keep them.
Other Bonkers Stuff. Cuz there's always Bonkers Stuff
Traitor Tot's speech was chock-full of the usual self-aggrandizement, lies, victimhood, and moments of dementia.
Just glue some gold leaf to the bow.
Trump: I am a very aesthetic person. I don't like some of the ships you are doing aesthetically. They say it is stealth. That's not stealth. An ugly ship is not necessary in order to say you are stealth.
Fuckin' Obama. He can't even walk down the stairs right!
The Radical Left stair-walkers are out to get you, I say!
Add to the Dementia Files. He was obviously told this by his team or his doctor or his wife to Go slow, donnie, go real slow! If the suggestion was just before this meeting, his brain may have held on to it and worked its way weirdly in to his remarks.
Trump: "I'm very careful when I walk down stairs, like I'm on stairs, I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record. Just try not to fall because it doesn't work out well."
Trump to generals: "We won every swing state, we won the popular vote. We won everything. You have to take a look at the map. It's almost entirely red excerpt there's a little blue line on each coast. And I think that's gonna disappears too."
Trump to generals: "We have beautiful paper, the gorgeous paper. I said, 'throw a little more gold on it, they deserve it. I want the A paper not the D paper.' We used to sign a piece of garbage ... I want to use the big beautiful firm paper."
I deserve the Nobel Prize for ending eight wars in eight months!
Sure you do, Donnie. Now let's get you back to your room for a snack and a rest.
Trump to generals: "Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They'll give it to some guy that didn't do a damn thing ... it would be a big insult to country, I will tell you that. I don't want it, I want the country to get it. We should get it."
"Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience." Thomas Merton
I think all of us, regardless of party, hold the members of the military in highest regard. Theirsacrifices are great. They defend and stay strong. They don't go looking for fights; they look to end them. What they are being asked to do goes against what they have dedicated their lives too.
Backing up a little to before his speech to the military leaders. While in the Oval Office with the press a few days before the meeting, Teddy Dozevelt was asked bout the upcoming meeting, and it was obvious that he had no idea what the reporter was talking about. None.
Had he been told and just forgot? Or had he been simply kept in the dark, while the nefarious characters worked in the background, pulling the levers as they prop up their beloved figurehead?
He thought they were talking about foreign military leaders. It was obvious he was confused and tried to cover. Finally, JD Divan-ce helped out (with a lie). Couchfuck McGee laughed off the silly rabbit reporters wondering why they cared about such a commonplace occurrence. We care because in reality, it is extremelyunusual for a meeting of this nature to be convened.
The First Tests
"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." Ernest Hemingway
The Felon has "joked" that fisherman should not dare to go out. The reality is that people have been murdered, and some of them may have been completely innocent bystanders.
Again, criminals and drug runners are not a foreign enemy that we can declare war upon. (Who, exactly are you naming we are in a war with?)
Nor should we. It is so dumb to have to point out that we have due process for criminals which doesn't include killing them before any investigation, evidence, or trial.
It literally keeps me up at night that SCOTUS has okayed illegal acts if they fall under color of the president's authority. HE IS MURDERING PEOPLE IN COLD BLOOD. This must not stand!!
"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." Howard Zinn
Portland.
Troops have been sent to Portland in the name of some imaginary uprising. Vladimir Gluten has called the city "War ravaged."
There has been speculation that Napoleon Bone-Aspur saw some old footage of riots in Portland from years past on Faux News and he conflated that with the current situation in the city, where everything is Situation: Normal.
In an NBC interview, he seemed to confirm that when he said, "I spoke to the governor, she was very nice. But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? My people tell me different.' They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place…it looks like terrible."
Can we please get a president who doesn't get his daily briefings from his own propaganda mouthpiece? It's a möbius strip of lies and misinformation.
In his head, Portland is a teeming cesspool of Antifa soldiers, masked and armed with sticks and bats, ready to take over coffee shacks, vegan food trucks, and donut stores at will.
State and city officials were caught off guard by the announcement and have pushed back.
Satire
Is it just me, or does it seem we are at the point that satire seems superfluous, inadequate, too close to the truth, I dunno... all the things.
But we must try to find the absurdity and keep laughing.
Help us, Satirists. You're our only hope.
Perhaps the only way to stomach Hegseth's speech is through this one. This is his real voice and his real words. AI babies to the rescue.
A news digest will come, most likely after my short camping trip. By then, the news may be old, and new bright and shiny distractions will have emerged. But I'll be at it, documenting our time in history.
We return to look at the SICK the nation is slogging through. A lot has been going on.
SHAME – INCOMPETENCE – CORRUPTION – KINGSHIP
SHAME
United Kingdom
SCROTUS took at trip to the UK last week. It was another national embarrassment. He humiliated himself once again.
Of course, the Royals feted him with red carpet, carriage ride, and a black-tie dinner, as they tried their best to placate him. They have national interests, too, after all.
Here he is, jaunty hand-on-hip delivering his remarks after a "Your Majesty" in his best Daffy Duck impression.
There are many shameful moments.
"The first American president to be welcomed here."
Huh?What about Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George Bush I, Bill Clinton, George Bush II, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden?
He spoke to the Royals at a dinner sounding like a child.
He went into the "hottest country" schtick. Does the King really want to hear that?
And at the end of his remarks he tried to rope the King into "together, we must defend the exceptional heritage that makes us who we are. And we must continue to stand for the values and the people of the English speaking world." (Read: white world. I'm sure Stepheratu Miller wrote the speech for him)
The dinner menu, according to The Independent, consisted of "a Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad – light, modern, nodding to the King’s long-held belief in seasonal produce and sustainable farming.
Then, an organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, perfumed with thyme: not the red-blooded beef, venison or lamb that often anchors such occasions, but a subtler bird, elevated by precision and restraint.
Dessert was a vanilla ice cream bombe hiding a Kentish raspberry sorbet, served with gently poached Victoria plums."
Later, when asked about the dinner, King Ketchup said it was, "whatever the hell they served us."
So sorry it wasn't Big Macs and KFC.
Dementia Don was not able to hide his rotting hand during his visit. He tried though! Oh how he tried! That makeup!
And one for the guffaw bank. Melania, as floor lamp.
From the United Kingdom, he went to the United Nations, where he also embarrassed himself.
He was forced to go off-speech when the teleprompter broke, and of course that means we get the real Donnie Darko.
And because it broke, he took the opportunity to blather not for the 15 minutes allotted, but for 60. freaking. minutes.
Instead of talking about the U.N.'s most pressing issues, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, he of course went to his go-to campaign speech talking points and others, such as:
Escalators. He was quite cross that the escalator at the U.N. building and caused him and Melanie (or whatever her name is) to *shudder* climb the steps.
He was so cross that he mentioned it in his remarks (and carried on when he got back to the Whitewash House, more below in "STUPID.")
Immigration. He dressed down other countries, saying, "You’re doing it (allowing immigration) because you want to be nice. You want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage."
He continued:
"We have reasserted that America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take their own stand in defense of their citizens as well. You have to do that because I see it. I'm not mentioning names. I see it and I can call every single one of them out. You're destroying your countries. They're being destroyed. Europe is in serious trouble. They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe, and nobody's doing anything to change it, to get them out. It's not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they're doing just absolutely nothing about it."
Nazi talk.
And: "If you come illegally into the United States, you're going to jail or you're going back to where you came from, or perhaps even further than that, you know what that means."
Climate change. He mocked the whole idea out of hand, saying climate change is "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world."
He basically called the other world leaders stupid when he said, "All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people.”
Every accusation is a confession.
“You’re destroying your countries. I can tell you I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”
Good job, buddy. Way to win friends and influence people....
Crime. He touted his imaginary crime-fighting back home. "Washington D.C. was the crime capital of America. Now, it's a totally… After 12 days, it's a totally safe city. Everyone's going out to dinner, they're going out to restaurants. Your wife can walk down the middle of the street with or without you. Nothing's going to happen."
Self-aggradizing lies. "I have ended seven unendable wars."
"And I'm really good at predicting things. They actually said during the campaign, they had a hat, the best-selling hat. Trump was right about everything."
OOOOh! A hat! Now I'm paying attention!
Biden. His Biden beefs were a-plenty.
Obama. What speech would be complete without belly-aching about our President of 10-plus years ago?
Windmills. Can you please just let this one go?
His illegal murders. "To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America, please be warned — we will blow you out of existence.”
and
Cows. "No more cows. We don't want cows anymore. I guess they want to kill all the cows."
Okayyyyy....
There was more .... so much more. It was certifiable.
TL; DR version:
S is also for STUPID
Actual words from the President of the United States about Charlie Kirk.
In an interview with Faux New's Martha MacCallum, the conversation turned to the late Charlie Kirk. The interviewer said, "Charlie said there is no such thing as hate speech."
47 interjected (and I kid you not), "He may not be saying that now."
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
TMZ has the footage; it seems that Faux News has *gasp* edited the original to cast the president in a better light.
When he got home from his visit to the U.N., he was still real miffed about the malfunctioning escalator. He threatened to SUE! Well, ok, he's not suing (yet), but he did call for Investigations! and Consequences!
Was the escalator a prank? Maybe. If so, it was a great one!
For more on Escalatorgate, refer to the hilarious Jeff Tiedrich.
Breaking: Escalatorgate has broken wide open with Baby Hands posting a 357-word screed today on his not-twitter platform whining about the escalator, the broken teleprompter, and the sound quality.
Don't you have better things to do like a trip to Home Depot for more hand spackle?
Alllll the MAGAts have jumped into the fray. But it appears that it was one of the regime's own that halted the escalator and broke the teleprompter. You just can't make this shit up.
Here's your problem right here.
INCOMPETENCE
TYLENOL
He and HHS Secretary Brainworm made an Important Announcement yesterday.
On live TV in front of the world, he made "his dumb autism speech," as The New Republicso aptly headlined it.
The announcement was that acetaminophen causes autism!
Who knew?
Answer: Nobody. Because it isn't true.
There's a lot to unpack in these few minutes of hogwash.
Let's break it down.
The incidence of autism is rising. This is true. Not because there are more people with autism, but because of a broadening definition of autism, better screening, and more awareness.
"The Amish have essentially no autism." Wrong. Flat wrong. Stupidly wrong.
"And I will say there are parts of the world that don’t take Tylenol. I mean, there’s a rumor, and I don’t know if it’s so or not, that Cuba, they don’t have Tylenol because they don’t have the money to put Tylenol. And they have virtually no autism, okay? Tell me about that one. And there are other parts of the world where they don’t have Tylenol, where they don’t have autism. That tells you a lot."
It tells us a lot about how stupid you are. This statement if full of lies.
Firstly, of course there is autism in Cuba. The incidence in Cuba is perhaps at lower numbers, but this is because of fewer diagnoses, fewer screenings, and less awareness. That being said, there are nine specialized schools in Cuba for students on the autism spectrum.
Secondly, Cuba has modern medicine and has one of the lowest infant mortality statistics of the world. They export many physicians (sadly, though healthcare is free for its citizens, it is fraught with corruption and other problems. I could write a lot about Cuba).
Cuba has acetaminophen. Yes, it's more expensive for the populace and supplies fluctuate (as does every product in Cuba), but they "have the money to put Tylenol," and it is used by the people there.
In the end, the upshot of the announcement was:
"First, uh, effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of I said, well, let's see how we say that. I said aminophen. Acetaminophen Is that OK? Which is basically commonly known as Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism. So taking Tylenol is uh not good or I'll say it, it's not good."
First of all, anybody who has done any research, or read any research, or cited any research knows the first rule of research:
There have been weak associations found in studies between acetaminophen and autism, but no causal factor. Here's one study published in JAMA in 2024 which showed no association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism and a host of other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor Dr. Zeyan Liew stated in a statement from Yale School of Public Health, "Multiple observational studies conducted across different populations have shown associations between frequent and long-term use (emphasis mine) of acetaminophen in pregnancy and some negative effects on a child’s neurodevelopment. However, not all studies are specific about autism. Further, there might be other factors related to acetaminophen use, such as fevers (which are known to cause increased rates of neurodevelopmental delays). Genetics and other medical conditions also need to be considered."
Other factors that poke holes in this whole charade:
The consumption of acetaminophen has decreased over the years, which cuts into Mr. Science's premise that autism rates are increasing. Not only that, but autism was first diagnosed in 1943 and Tylenol came onto the market in 1955.
It's frankly dangerous for them to make these statements against acetaminophen and then! to go on to give more stupid medical advice like this. I know this is a lot to slog through, but we have to know it.
"They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary. That’s, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever, that you feel you can’t tough it out, if you can't do it. That's what you're gonna have to do. You'll take a Tylenol, but it'll be very sparingly can be uh something that's very dangerous to the woman's health. In other words, a fever that’s very, very dangerous and ideally a doctor’s decision.
Because I think you shouldn’t take it. And you shouldn’t take it during the entire pregnancy. They may tell you that toward the end of the pregnancy, you shouldn’t take it during the entire. And you shouldn’t give the child the Tylenol every time he goes. He’s born, he goes and has a shot. You shouldn’t give a Tylenol to that child. All pregnant women should talk to their doctors for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant. So ideally, you don’t take it at all. But if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it.
The other thing that I can tell you that I’ll say that they will maybe say at a little bit later date. But I think when you go for the shot, you do it over a five-time period. Take it over five times or four times. But you take it in smaller doses. And you spread it out over a period of years. And they pump so much stuff into those beautiful little babies. It’s a disgrace. I don’t see it. I don’t, I think it has, I think it’s very bad. They’re pumping, it looks like they’re pumping into a horse. You have a little child, little fragile child, and you get a vat of 80 different vaccines, I guess. 80 different blends, and they pump it in.
So ideally, a woman won’t take Tylenol."
He finished his Tylenol rant by reasoning that by not taking Tylenol, "nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen."
Yeah. It can only good happen.
He then drifted to more vaccine hogwash, questioning the timing and combinations of vaccines, which have been studied and agreed-upon by actual physicians for decades.
The main thrust of discouraging Tylenol use by pregnant people? Well, that is plain dangerous.
Acetaminophen has long been considered the safest pain- and fever-reducing medication for use during pregnancy. It still is, no matter what Quack Regime People say.
The risks of high fever to the fetus and the expecting mother far outweigh any minimal risk that the medication imposes, and the risks of using other medications are higher.
Simply put, they are putting maternal and fetal health at risk with this stupid stupid assertion.
All this medical advice from the man who told the nation to inject bleach and consume horse worm paste to cure Covid, and from the man who collected a dead bear from the roadside to eat (later leaving it in Central Park instead "as a prank"), and separately chopped a whale up and strapped it to his car roof, having it rain dead whale juice on his small children.
Please can we get these morons to shut. the. fuck. up!
Again, we lay blame for the world's woes at women's feet. Blame women, that's what MAGAts do. You must tough out the pain, tough out the fever. If you can't, and you must take a "harmful" medication, then it's YOUR FAULT if your child is harmed. You women are the reason for all the bad in the world.
People are laughing about his idiotic mispronunciation of acetaminophen. I'm not so sure his difficulty over the word was a mistake. He used his bumbling to swiftly pivot to using the brand name "Tylenol." Maybe we should follow the money as to why he named Tylenol specifically (and not the widely-available cheaper generic name "acetaminophen" "apap" or [in most other countries] "peracetamol").
He said "Don't take Tylenol" or "Don't take it" eleven times during the announcement. And that doesn't count the "Don't give"s and "Don't use"s.
Does he have a beef with Kenvue (or as Jon Stewart called them, "Plaintiff A") the offshoot of Johnson and Johnson that took over the production and marketing of Tylenol? Does a competitor of Kenvue need something done? Are we in the corruption weeds yet again?
Here's Kenvue's statement:
My last word
The more we accept neurodivergence and move away from our ableism mindset, maybe idiots and grifters would not be able to stoke fear. Neurodivergence is a difference, not a defect. People with autism are neurodivergent, not zombies.
"Border Czar" (does he even have an official title?) Tom Homan was filmed by the FBI in September, 2024 taking $50,000 cash in a bag from undercover agents. The "bribe" was for influencing the potential incoming regime on contracts related to border control.
Lie Machine KKKaroline Leavitt spun it the usual way, because every day is Opposite Day. She snapped at a reporter, "Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you're referring to, so you should get your facts straight."
Oops. After I made this I realized this is Pam Bondi. I can't keep all the Regime Barbies straight!
Immigration policies are corrupt
The regime announced suddenly that H-1B visas, which allow highly-skilled mostly technical workers to easily come to work in the U.S., would cost the pretty sum of $10,000.
Previously the cost was less than $2000 and covered administrative costs.
The sudden announcement caused panic. Businesses advised their workers to return to the U.S. immediately, do not pass Go. Outbound international flights were halted so that panicked workers could get off the plane pronto.
After the initial announcement that it would be an annual fee effective immediately for all H-1B visa holders, it was clarified that it's a one-time fee, effective a few days after the announcement, and applies only to new applicants.
File this under "Incompetence" as well. And "Scam."
If this holds up, only the richest companies will be able to absorb the cost – and the "exemption on a case-by-case basis" opens the doors to bribes. Of course. Skilled workers across sectors will be shut out. It will not make America great again!
What would help: promoting higher education instead of condemning it. Make it easier and more affordable for American students to get the education that they need to secure these jobs.
It's not rocket science. Well, in some cases it is, which is why we need to hire out...
Autism Grift
KINGSHIP
This shit is tyrant-level shit:
Further comment is superfluous. We need to flip Congress and impeach the hell out of this joker.
Murder on the High Seas
More boats have been targeted for missile attacks. There have been three boats destroyed and 17 people killed.
The regime insists they were drug-running boats, but there is no evidence. Even if they were drug running boats, it is illegal to blow them out of the water. We have processes for criminals. It doesn't include murdering them on sight.
There has been woefully little information about the incidents. This is outrageous beyond all measure and he needs to face consequences.
ANTIFA
Dear Leader, by way of executive order, deemed "Antifa" to be a "domestic terrorist organization."
Damn. I'll have to turn in my card.
You may remember there exist organizations such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, or Patriot Front. You may remember they organized to terrorize Congress on January 6, 2021. Those are examples of domestic terrorist organizations.
There isn't one from the left. None! Making one up out of whole cloth by using the word Antifa (short for anti-fascist) is desperation. There isn't a single organized left-wing terror group.
I am anti-fascist. My father was anti-fascist when he helped stop Hitler's march. Most of my friends and family are anti-fascist. But we don't do terror. The only organizing we do are giant peaceful protests in pussy hats with funny signs.
*U.S. Army Air Corps, 8th Air Force, 351st Bomb Group
ICE Raids continue, and they are affecting the community at large.
I spoke to an emergency room nurse and she said that visits to the ER are way down. People are not going to the ER, nor to doctors, because they are afraid.
Awful for people, awful for our communities, awful for our nation.
The Erasing of Data
I've written about how history is literally being rewritten by removing impeachment information from The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and by whitewashing slavery by removing slavery exhibits from national parks.
They've also taken down the U.S. Constitution from official government websites and erased data across government databases, from climate and weather data to crime statistics.
La-la-la! I can't hear you! If hunger isn't documented, it doesn't exist!
But he hurt my fee-fees!
Dear Leader is steamed – steamed I say – about ABC relenting on the Jimmy Kimmel issue. Another dick authoritarian move is threatened in this non-tweet.
The Antidote to SICK
Comedy and Satire
Kimmel is back! Here is his maiden voyage after being silenced. Please watch. It's an important moment.
And how 'bout those ratings? He broke a personal record for YouTube views too.
Some Nexstar and Sinclair affiliates are still refusing to air the show. There may be a showdown with mega behemoth corporation Disney/ABC. Getting my popcorn ready for that.
If you don't know, Sinclair is evil. Pretty sure Nexstar isn't much better. Years ago while on a plane, I watched this clip from John Oliver. It has stuck with me. It is important to be aware of this.
(Another reason to embrace satire. It informs as it makes us laugh and think).
Newsom is still out there fighting for our country by fighting for Prop 50 to pass. This is the proposition that answers Texas's redistricting decision. If you have a couple bucks, please support Prop 50's election efforts. Donate here.
The governor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. Here he is.
Remember in my last post when I talked about young men being in crisis? Governor Newsom had some remarks on the subject, and a plan. Can I say again how much I love my governor?
Grijalva won this week's special election for Arizona's 7th District after her father died from lung cancer while holding the same seat. The 7th District has been without representation since his death in January. The immediate impact is that her vote will strengthen the effort to release the full Epstein files.
The Press
I get the LA Times delivered to my doorstep, after a short boycott when they didn't endorse a presidential candidate. I've noticed a shift. For example, these headlines on the front page. It's a small thing, but a noticeable shift.
I hope this is a sign that maybe the legacy media will stop bending over backwards to present "both sides," which only works to legitimize this menace. Keep putting pressure on the media, folks.
Rogue Artists
Another anonymous sculpture was installed at the National Mall.
Besties Donnie and Jeffie are frolicking.
It was removed just about as quick as it appeared. But not before we got pictures. We salute you, rogue artists!
South Park
If you haven't caught up yet, this season of South Park is a must-watch. Here's a sample.
Meme Makers, Political Cartoonists, and other Satirists
