The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2026

 

Today is Friday the 13th, which is an appropriate day to recognize excellence in ass clownery, especially for this period's winner.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, today we recognize as

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2026

Der Furor's New Chief of Staff

and

Senior Nazi Consultant

Stephen Miller

In the aftermath of the enormous GOP faceplant in last week's midterm election, Der Furor - ever in need of a scapegoat to deflect personal responsibility - fired his long-time Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and replaced her with his Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller*.

Mr. Miller, an ardent white nationalist, has been the force behind most of Der Furor’s most controversial and unpopular actions, including the use of increasingly hostile tactics to capture and deport immigrants across the country and the bombing of small boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that he and Der Furor declared (without evidence) were carrying drugs and constituted a foreign invasion of the United States. In spite of Der Furor's tepid initial claim that he would work with newly-empowered Democrats, the appointment of a man like Mr Miller was a clear sign that he would fight the Democratic majority tooth and nail, regardless of the obvious desires of the electorate.

Mr. Miller is as devoted to Der Furor as any of the hyper-MAGA sycophants. In a speech to a CPAC event at Mar-a-Lago after his promotion was announced, he claimed that “If it wasn’t for [Der Furor], the United States of America would not exist right now ... This man saved America.” As if that weren't fawning enough, he went on to claim that “[Der Furor] saved our military from collapse. He saved our economy from destruction. He saved our border from annihilation,” and had protected the nation from threats “which would have been the end of the American dream forever.” Need more? He also gushed that “This man took a bullet for us. He faced down life in prison for us.”

Oy.

The best comment on the elevation of Stephen Miller to his new position was delivered by Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, who said in a statement that his promotion represented "a giant middle finger to every single voter who came out to the polls and demanded a change from the corruption and cruelty of the last two years." 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2026, is the new gatekeeper for the enliberaced Oval Office - Stephen "Nosferatu" Miller - the sort of senior figure the nation could do much better without.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* A two-time previous winner: February 2026 Right-Cheek and March 2026 Right-Cheek (shared award).

Thursday Trees

 

It's time once again for another edition of Mike's Thursday Trees! Leaves are quickly falling from the trees here in NoVa, but through the magic of photography, we can still enjoy the beauty of nature's woody gift ...

1 - I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it looks confused ...

2 - is there such a thing as an octopus tree? ...

3 - a pretty interesting beech ...

4 - ever seen a pensive, brooding tree before? ...

5 - one of the most colorful pictures I've seen of a bristlecone pine ...

6 - this is generally a family-friendly blog, but I couldn't resist including this photo of a very male tree ...

7 - a glorious red maple in Ontario, Canada ...

8 - a gnarly sitka spruce ...

9 - Sutjeska National Park, Bosnia & Herzegovina ...

10 - white birches in New Hampshire ...

And that's it for today's edition of Thursday Trees - I hope it brought some calming thoughts in this turbulent time.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for the announcement of The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November - see you then for more thoughts.

Bilbo

FORTRESS, etc.

You may have seen recent news coverage of the new initiative by Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth to require military bases in the United States to be able to operate for at least 90 days without relying on civilian power, fuel, water or supply lines. The program is being called "FORTRESS" - short for "Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability." 

Now, that's an acronym.

I think that other federal agencies should have programs with catchy acronyms, too. Here are a few suggestions:

What's left of the Department of Education could have "GRADES" - "Greatly Reducing Aid to Deteriorating Educational Systems."  

The Department of Justice could have "COURTS" - "Criminally Obvious Use of Resources for Trump Sycophants."

The Department of the Treasury could have "GRAFT" - "Giving Regular Aid to Friends of Trump."

The Department of State could have "TREATIES" - "Trump Requires Every Ally To Immediately Embrace Submission."

The Department of Commerce could have "TARIFFS" - "Trump's Alternative to the Rational International Free Flow of Stuff."

The Department of Housing and Urban Development could have "FORECLOSE" - "Federal Operation to Remove or Evict Citizens Living On Small Earnings."

The Department of Homeland Security could have "WALL" - "We Are Legally Lawless."

Any other suggestions? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Monday Mountains

 

If you're like me, your spirits have already been uplifted by the results of last week's midterm elections. If you need something else to lift your spirits, here's this week's collection of Monday Mountains ...

1 - 

2 - 

3 - 

4 - 

5 - 

6 - 

7 - 

8 - 

9 - 

10 - 

Have a good day and a great week. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

 

Both my wife and I love to cook, which is handy on those days when one or the other of us is not in the mood (to cook). This poem by Jane Hirshfeld is for all those other amateur chefs out there ...

Cook

by Jane Hirshfield

Each night you come home with five continents on your hands:

garlic, olive oil, saffron, anise, coriander, tea,

your fingernails blackened with a marjoram and thyme.

Sometimes the zucchini's flesh seems like a fish-steak,

cut into neat filets, or the salt-rubbed eggplant

yields not bitter water, but dark mystery.

You cut everything into bits.

No core, no kernel, no seed is scared: you cut

onions for hours and do not cry,

cut them to thin transparencies, the red ones

spreading before you like fallen flowers;

you cut scallions from white to green, you cut

radishes, apples, broccoli, you cut oranges, watercress,

romaine, you cut your fingers, you cut and cut

beyond the heart of things, where

nothing remains, and you cut that too, scoring coup

on the butcherblock, leaving your mark,

when you go 

your feet are as pounded as brioche dough.

Speaking of chefs and cooks ... I'm hooked on a series of superb suspense novels by Sam Eastland* set in Russia during the time of the revolution and World War II. One of the characters is a young officer of the Cheka (secret police) who ended up in that role because the Bolsheviks shut down the school where he was learning to be a chef. Every time someone calls him a "cook," he gets very upset and insists on being called a "chef."

Words matter.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* The Eye of the Red Tsar, Shadow Pass, Archive 17, The Beast in the Red Forest, Red Icon, The Red Moth, and Berlin Red.

Cartoon Saturday

What a week it's been!

American voters decisively rejected Der Furor and his MAGA agenda in a huge Democratic Party victory that seized control of both houses of Congress and numerous governorships; Idaho residents selected the Winchester Model 1873 as the official state gun and English as the official state language in Tuesday’s election; in an attempt to protect his garish Liberaceization of the Gilded House, Der Furor issued a royal decree executive order designating the Oval Office as a national monument protected from future change; enraged by the historic smackdown of the GOP and anxious to identify a suitable scapegoat, Der Furor announced that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is being replaced by former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Nazi Consultant Stephen Miller*; and in Belgium, a 36-year-old man who was arrested after he tried to rob a supermarket while wearing underwear on his face as a mask has also been charged with assault, arson, attempted extortion, carrying a weapon, cocaine possession, and car theft, all committed in the span of a few hours during a single night.

This week, a collection of cartoons inspired by the events of the past week in politics ... 

It must be another of Der Furor's press events at which he crows about his ballroom ...

How, indeed? ...

I think there's less fear of that now than there was a few days ago ...

Let's see if the new Democratic majority is really able to do something about the problem ...

I think Dad is probably grousing about other things by now ...

I'd always wondered where Der Furor came up with some of these people ...

The Gilded House responds to the emergency ...

I think she can probably hold off on things other than the weather ...

I think this guy has a great future in government until January 3rd ...

This just in ... apocalypse indefinitely postponed ...

The voters have handed the Democrats an historic victory. We just have to make sure they don't squander it.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday gets cooking in the new month. See you then.

Bilbo

* The best comment on Miller's elevation was delivered by Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, who described it as "a giant middle finger to every single voter who came out to the polls and demanded a change from the corruption and cruelty of the last two years."

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

 

It's your first collection of editorial and signage ya-ha's for the new month! Let's get rolling ...

I'm not sure that's a suitable substitute, but what do I know?

I'll bet those antlers hurt on the way out ...

I think this is my dentist ...

Uh ... no ...

I guess this is for those who plan on orgies in the kitchen ...

I think there's a reporter in Iowa looking for a new job ...

"Slightly used?" ...

You have to wonder how many people are dumb enough to fill it in ,,,

I wonder what the criteria for "fine" are ...

Worst case of mistaken identity, ever ...

That's it for this week. As always, if you find a Great Moment in your travels or reading, take a picture and send it to ol' Bilbo - I'll give you credit if I use it.

Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Thursday Trees

 

New month, new trees! Welcome to Mike's Thursday Trees!

1 - a "Mayan Tree" (Albizia niopoides) in Mexico ...

2 - a "nurse log," raising a whole new forest ...

3 - this tree might look good at a nudist colony ...

4 - I think this tree is in need of an arboreal chiropractor ...

5 - leaves against the blue sky ...

6 - you know it's coming ...

7 - a tree's gonna grow where a tree's gonna grow ...

8 - this tree looks like a diagram of what passes for MAGA logic ...

9 - an olive tree, reminding me of those times when I've really gotta go and there's no rest room around ...

10 - a quiver tree forest in Namibia ...

And that's it for our first edition of Thursday Trees for November - I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a good day, and be sure to come back tomorrow for the first November collection of Great Moments in Editing and Signage. More thoughts then.

Bilbo