Wednesday, April 08, 2026

Der Furor's Mix-and-Match Social Media Post Generator


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Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Sunday, April 05, 2026

Musical Sunday


This past week saw the largest mass demonstrations in American history as an estimated 8-9 million people took to the streets for the second "No Kings Day," protesting the creeping authoritarianism and white religious supremacist leanings of Der Furor and his enablers.

At the height of World War II, with Nazi Germany an existential threat to democracies and decency around the world, humor was - then as now - a potent weapon against the image and behavior of a tyrant like Adolf Hitler. This popular tune by Spike Jones and his City Slickers was one of the classics of the genre ...


Here are the lyrics:

When Der Fuehrer says, "We ist der master race"
We Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face
Not to love Der Fuehrer is a great disgrace
So we Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face

When Herr Goebbels says, "We own der world und space,"
We Heil! Heil! Right in Herr Goebbels' face
When Herr Goring says "They'll never bomb this place,"
We Heil! Heil! Right in Herr Goring's face

Are we not the supermen
Aryan pure supermen
Ja we ist der supermen
Super-duper supermen
Ist this Nazi land so good?
Would you leave it if you could?
Ja this Nazi land is good!
Vee would leave it if we could 
 
We bring the world to order
Heil Hitler's world New Order
Everyone of foreign race will love Der Fuehrer's face
When we bring to der world disorder.

When Der Fuehrer says, "We ist der master race"
We Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face.
Not to the love the Not to love Der Fuehrer is a great disgrace
So we Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face

When Der Fuehrer says, "We ist der master race"
We Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face
Not to love Der Fuehrer is a great disgrace
So we Heil! Heil! Right in Der Fuehrer's face

It's no wonder that I've found "Der Furor" to be a most appropriate nickname for the despicable creature who was, sadly, elected by angry Americans not ready for the consequences of their choice.

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

Bilbo

Saturday, April 04, 2026

Cartoon Saturday


And April's off to a flying start ...

The Artemis II spacecraft launched spectacularly and successfully from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, marking mankind's first return to the moon since the 1970s; Der Furor defenestrated Attorney General Pam Bondi, frustrated over her handling of the Epstein Files and her inability to follow through on revenge prosecutions of his enemies; a Federal judge ordered work on Der Furor's White House ballroom to cease until the project has been reviewed and approved by Congress and its sources of funding clarified; a U.S. F-15 fighter was shot down over Iran on Friday - one crew member was rescued and the other is still missing; Secretary of Defense (Not War) Pete Hegseth fired the Chief of Staff of the Army in the middle of a war, apparently because he refused Hegseth's order to remove otherwise qualified officers from promotion lists because of their race or sex; and in China, a law has been introduced to stop people storing the ashes of their dead relatives in empty high-rise apartments converted into ancestral shrines rather than paying for more expensive and increasingly scarce cemetery plots.

This week, in honor of the "No Kings" rallies around the country in opposition to the self-proclaimed king in the White House, a collection of cartoons about royalty ...

Pun of the day ...


It looks like Der Furor isn't the only monarch given to changing his mind on a moment's notice ...


There's funny as in ha-ha and there's funny as in bring me a strait jacket. I know which one applies.


That's not how Der Furor reacts to comedy he doesn't like ... he cuts off their licenses rather than their heads ...


It's only an interview if the questions actually get answered ...


Remind you of anyone? ...


Whatever works ...


Ah, the Royal "We" ...


I think you may want to consult your intelligence analysts ...


No, he's definitely not ready ...


And that's it for the first Cartoon Saturday of April and our squinty-eyed salute to the kings we used to not have in this country. I hope you had a much chuckle in the midst of war and creeping authoritarianism.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday and a look back to a song parodying another dictator. More thoughts then. 

Bilbo

Friday, April 03, 2026

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026


Two weeks ago, in a comment on my Facebook page about the Left-Cheek Ass Clown Award announced earlier that day, my old friend Dave wondered how many people had won back-to-back awards over the years. I did the research and discovered that there have been three instances over the years: Dick Cheney was the final winner in December of 2014*, and won the Ass Clown of the Year (ACOY) for 2014 a week later; Texas Governor Greg Abbott was the On-Crack Ass Clown for December, 2022, and won the 2022 ACOY the following week. Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth was the third, having shared the Right-Cheek Award for March, 2026, followed by winning the Left-Cheek Award for the month two weeks later. Mr. Hegseth, being an overachieving MAGAt of the highest degree, seems intent on making his mark not just on the wreckage of the Department of Defense (not War), but on the history of my Ass Clown Awards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, it is with no small degree of shame and regret that I award the tinfoil and toilet paper crown, fourth poison ivy cluster, to

The Right Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026


and the winner, for an unprecedented third straight time (one shared) is

Secretary of Defense (not War)
Pete Hegseth


It's not easy to get the Pope to condemn you, however obliquely, but the clownishly belligerent Mr. Hegseth managed to make it happen after delivering a bizarre address at a "Christian Worship Service" at the Pentagon, when he exhorted his listeners

"Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

There is, of course, a long history of invoking the blessings of (insert preferred deity) on military undertakings. Indeed, the stirring Order of the Day to the troops issued by General Dwight Eisenhower before the Normandy landings on June 6th, 1944, ended with the words, 

"... let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

And imperial and Nazi Germany famously emblazoned "Gott mit uns" ("God is with us") in their military heraldry.


Pope Leo XIV has pushed back against Mr. Hegseth's use of religious, specifically Christian, endorsement of war and violence. In his homily to crowds on Palm Sunday, without mentioning the Secretary of Defense (not War) by name, he said 

"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.'" (Is 1:15).

When the Pope calls you out, you may want to rethink your rhetoric.

In his angry, bloodthirsty calls for extreme violence, Pete Hegseth has revealed himself to be an unserious, morally bankrupt man in a job which - paradoxically - requires both a willingness to use lethal force and a thoughtful weighing of the morality of such use. Writing in The Atlantic, Peter Wehner succinctly observed that

"We need people in government and in the military who can lead the nation to victory in times of war, but that is quite different than having people in leadership who indulge in bloodlust ..."

Sadly, we do not have them. And it is a terrible loss for the nation and the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026, is Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth - yet another example of the toxic mediocrity that has replaced competence,  morality, empathy, and simple humanity in Der Furor's government.

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

Bilbo

P.S. - after I wrote this post earlier in the week, Mr Hegseth removed two black men and two women from the list of officers recommended by the Army for promotion to Brigadier General. He did not give a reason for their removal, but it's pretty clear that they ran contrary to his version of senior military command as a meritocracy based on white "Christian" male leadership. And he wasn't done yet ... on Thursday he fired - without stating any reason - the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy George, in the middle of the undeclared war against Iran. I can't make this stuff up.

* Before I started the Right-Cheek/Left-Cheek/On-Crack system.

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Poetry Sunday


Spring has sprung, as they say - the sun crossed the celestial equator to mark the vernal equinox back on March 20th, giving us hope that we can at least enjoy better weather if we can't enjoy better political leadership. This short poem by Tom Hennen brings the warm feel and smell of the season of new growth and experience ...

Spring Follows Winter Once More 
by Tom Hennen 

Lying here in the tall grass
Where it’s so soft
Is this what it is to go home?
Into the earth
Of worms and black smells
With a larch tree gathering sunlight
In the spring afternoon
And the gates of Paradise open just enough
To let out
A flock of geese.


Lie back in that soft grass, watch the clouds go by, and putter in your garden. Spring's good for all those things that make life more bearable.

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

Bilbo

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Cartoon Saturday


It would be nice to think that the news will be better once April shows up in a few days, wouldn't it?

Continuing the tradition of confirming the appointment of unqualified sycophants to important positions, the Senate approved Der Furor's nomination of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to be the Secretary of Homeland Security; a Secret Service agent assigned to former First Lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport; the Treasury Department announced that - for the first time in history - Der Furor's signature will appear on US currency "to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump;" Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth has removed the names of two black and two female Army officers from the list for promotion to Brigadier General; Iranian-affiliated hackers are reported to have hacked the personal e-mail account of FBI Director Kash Patel; and in Daytona Beach, Florida, a man described as "highly intoxicated" drove through an airport gate and attempted to board a running airplane ... not an approved way to avoid long lines at security checkpoints, but I can understand.

This week, in honor of the random chaos of the current administration, a collection of random cartoons, because why not?

I can think of several notable figures to whom this applies ...


Well, it's true ...


Odd to think war can work that way, isn't it? ...


Sometimes, that's all it takes ...


That's true. Just ask Der Furor - you can blame just about anyone or anything but yourself ...


There's another version of this cartoon in which the crest is a bulls-eye, but I rather like this one ...


Well, yes, that would do it ...


Sometimes, "it sucks" is the best possible comment ...


I think this is the way the current administration wants to deal with numbers it doesn't like ...


I can sympathize with him. And with people who dream-debate vaccine deniers, election skeptics, and other MAGAts ...


And that's it for our last collection of cartoons for the month of March ... I hope they helped you to get over the suckitude of the last week.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for a Poetry Sunday salute to Spring. More (and happier) thoughts then.

Bilbo

Friday, March 27, 2026

Great Moments in Editing and Signage


Last collection for the month - get 'em while they're hot ...

Exhibit A ...


I'm not sure this headline writer still has a job ...


Wait, what? ...


Let your favorite cannibal know ...


Nowadays, this seems like a pretty good deal ...


I think a particular writer was not breast-fed ...


I sort of thought that was the whole point of brakes ...


Perhaps this wasn't the best choice of name for a salad restaurant ...


Thanks to Mike for this one ... I'll remember it if I'm ever lost in Michigan ...


I know most of you don't speak German, but I just had to include this one: a man mistook a singer practicing an operatic aria for a woman screaming in distress and called police  ...


And that's a wrap for Great Moments in Editing and Signage for March - I hope you've enjoyed today's collection. Remember that I'm always accepting your donations - email them to der_blogmeister@yahoo.com, and I'll see that you get a mention of thanks when I use them.

Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday, when we'll serve up a collection of random cartoons from my bottomless collection ... naturally, with my own commentary. See you then with more thoughts.

Bilbo 

Thursday, March 26, 2026

NPCs


If you are into online role-playing games (full disclosure: I'm not), you are probably familiar with the concept of the non-player character, or NPC - a character controlled by the master of the game or by a referee, rather than by a live player. The purpose of an NPC is, essentially, to provide background noise or flesh out a scene, much like the extras in movies who fill out crowds. The NPC has no effect on the game itself.


We are NPCs in the game Der Furor and his cronies are playing with the nation.

We have no input into the game other than by casting our votes*, and the next opportunity to do that won't come until November ... by which time the game controller will have, with no input from us or from the other NPCs we seem to have elected to Congress:

Destroyed our economy, once the envy of the world;

Undermined trust in our elections ... and in each other; 

Stacked government agencies with unqualified ciphers whose only qualification for their positions is obsequious devotion to Der Furor;  

Brought about the return of diseases once eliminated or, at least, under control; 

Ruined our standing in the world and eliminated the support of one-time allies who now view American leadership - once the gold standard for reliability and competence - as a laughingstock; 

Wasted hundreds of billions of our tax dollars on a completely unnecessary war against Iran ... which, although a loathsome regime, posed no immediate threat to us; 

Subordinated our national interests in the Middle East to those of Israel; 

Demolished part of the White House to make room for a ballroom for which there was no need;

Turned the stately and dignified Oval Office into a cheap imitation of a gaudy whorehouse; 

All but ruined the Kennedy Center as a focus of culture in the nation's capitol; 

Put us under attack by a private army answerable to no one; 

Attacked our treasured freedoms of speech, assembly, the press, and religion; 

Turned the Department of Justice into a juggernaut focused on vengeance against Der Furor's enemies, real and imagined; 

Utterly ignored the Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom in an attempt to transform the United States into a theocracy**; and,

Hugely profited - openly, blatantly, and shamelessly - from the abuse of public offices for personal gain, ensuring that the rich get richer and the rest of us get ... what's left.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Hope you enjoy being an NPC in a game run by Der Furor and a bunch of entitled billionaires.

Have a good day. Be sure you are registered to vote and that you actually do vote in every upcoming election. Turn out for a No Kings rally this weekend. Now - more than ever - the nation needs your voice. Make it loud.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* We can also badger our elected officials to find their spines and stand up for country rather than party or self-interest, but the degree of susceptibility to badgering depends on the degree of fealty to Der Furor.

** Look how well it's worked out for Iran.

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Musical Sunday


At the risk of being accused of making a racist comment, I'd like to note that Der Furor has well and truly punched the tar baby*. Aided and abetted by his incompetent Secretaries of Defense (NOT War) and State, he has dragged the United States into a useless and incredibly dangerous and destabilizing war against Iran. What comes after the bombs and rockets stop flying and the drones run out? What happens after this war? ...


Here are the lyrics, by Julie Wornan ...

After the war is over, after we reach the Peace
Oh, will we all relax then, will we find some release?
No, but we'll find new enemies, we'll hate them more and more.
Don't think the world will change much, after this war.

There is a child who's screaming
Fearing the rocket's roar
And there's a homeless family
Well, that's just war.

We have some super war toys
Deadlier than before.
Don't think we will not use them
In the next war

After the war is over, after we reach the Peace
Oh, will we all relax then, will we find some release?
No but we'll find new enemies, we'll hate them more and more.
Don't think the world will change much, after this war.

No, I'm afraid the world won't change much ... at least until people like Der Furor, Netanyahu, Putin, Hegseth, and the like are gone.

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

Bilbo

* A reference to the story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, by Joel Chandler Harris.

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Cartoon Saturday


There are 962 days until the presidential election. Give me strength.

Der Furor loyalist Joe Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, became the first major administration official to resign, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran;” Secretary of Defense (NOT War) Pete Hegseth will ask Congress for an additional $200 billion for the war in Iran, on top of the huge plus-up to the Defense budget in last year's "Big, Beautiful Bill;" famed union leader and champion of farmworker rights Cesar Chavez has been accused of sexually abusing Dolores Huerta, with whom he co-founded the United Farm Workers, as well as two young girls in the 1970s; Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said more than 400 people were killed and hundreds were wounded after a Pakistani attack on a major drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul; and in Texas, a woman faces federal drug charge after troopers conducting a routine traffic stop found 480 pounds of meth and 40 pounds of heroin in her car.

This week, in honor of having a government that's for the birds, a collection of cartoons about birds.

I think this one's a classic ...


Yeah, I don't think they'll be eating tonight ...


Ouch!! ...


If Der Furor has a bird he relies on for advice, it's probably a dodo ...


I wouldn't, either ...


There are a lot of heads buried in a lot of sand, lately ...


Uh, oh ...


When the ducks get wise to the trick ...


VR for geese? ...


Nowadays, that's just about a certainty ...


A little birdie told me you'd like this week's collection ... I hope he wasn't robin me of a better idea.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday considers what will happen after the war.

Bilbo