Tuesday, February 18, 2025

The Project 2025 Rewrite of the Preamble to the Constitution


The Preamble to the Constitution is one of the most famous and frequently cited written works of American history. In case you need a refresher (and nowadays, most Americans do), here it is:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Most people haven't noticed, but Project 2025 - the detailed plan for a complete ultraconservative makeover of the United States that Der Furor claimed to know nothing about during the campaign - also included a full rewrite of the Preamble to the Constitution to align it with the Republican wet dream of a Christian theocracy run by billionaires who know better than the great unwashed how to make and manage money. They haven't rewritten the rest of the Constitution yet ... they're just ignoring what they don't like and making up the rest as they go along.

In case you haven't seen it, here's the Project 2025 version of the Preamble to the Constitution that presents Der Furor's vision of the United States of America:

We the Wealthy, White, Christian citizens of the United States, in order to preserve our political power, ensure justice appropriate to the race and economic station of each individual, insure domestic tranquility by militarizing the police and strengthening their qualified immunity, provide for the common defense by making sure the military isn't full of nonlethal woke transgendered DEI hires, promote the general welfare insofar as such promotion does not create a culture of dependence which turns lazy individuals into public charges or limit the funding available for corporate welfare programs, and secure the blessings of liberty only to those belonging to traditionally American racial, economic, and religious groups, do ordain and establish this updated Constitution for the United States of America. If you don’t like it, leave. 

Just trying to keep you up to date on what's going on behind the scenes while you've been distracted by the outrage du jour.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Monday, February 17, 2025

Presidents Day, 2025


Today, the third Monday in February, is Presidents Day, the holiday which honors all the wealthy white men (and Barack Obama) who have served, with varying degrees of honor and success, as the nation's chief executive.

The holiday was originally known as Washington's Birthday in honor of the first president, who was actually born on February 22nd. It was later combined with Abraham Lincoln's birthday (February 12th) to honor two of our greatest presidents.

Things grew more complicated with the arrival of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, which permanently moved all Federal holidays other than Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's to a Monday to create three-day holiday weekends. The act would also have officially renamed the Washington's Birthday holiday "Presidents' Day" to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, but that proposal failed in committee, and the final bill signed into law on June 28, 1968, kept the official name "Washington's Birthday." 

Nevertheless, today we call it Presidents Day to honor of all 45 of our presidents (not 47, because Grover Cleveland and Der Furor each held office twice) and to provide a convenient handle for sales of automobiles, furniture, clothing, and other items. At one time, the White House website hosted a list of the presidents, but that page has been deleted, probably because it mentions presidents other than Der Furor; for a complete list of presidents, you'll need to go to Wikipedia, which now has a better track record of documenting US history than the White House. 

Presidents Day also provides an opportunity for historical reflection on the evolution of Republican presidents ...


So, happy Presidents Day to those who celebrate. Perhaps in another few years we'll again have a president worth honoring.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Poetry Sunday


I long ago came to terms with my rapidly-advancing age. I know my days of dancing the night away are pretty much over, now that the night comes calling by 8 o'clock, and things like cage fighting and extreme sports are nowhere to be found on my agenda. But I'm still as much in life as is Mary Oliver in today's poem ...

Self Portrait
by Mary Oliver

I wish I was twenty and in love with life
and still full of beans.

Onward, old legs!
There are the long, pale dunes; on the other side
the roses are blooming and finding their labor
no adversity to the spirit.

Upward, old legs! There are the roses, and there is the sea
shining like a song, like a body
I want to touch

though I'm not twenty
and won't be again but ah! seventy. And still
in love with life. And still
full of beans.


Yes, I'm still full of beans, in a world and a time where many in positions of national leadership - whether elected or unelected - are full of something else. I still love my wife, my family and my friends, who do their best to try to keep me grounded and humble.

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

Bilbo

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Cartoon Saturday


The hits just keep on coming, don't they? 

Republican Representative Earl Carter of Georgia introduced legislation to negotiate the purchase of Greenland and rename it "Red, White, and Blueland;" Florida GOP Representative Anna Paulina Luna announced that as part of her Congressional task force's investigation into alleged irregularities in the Warren Commission report on the JFK Assassination, she intends to call as witnesses the members of the Commission, the physicians who tried to save Kennedy, and the doctor who performed the autopsy, all of whom are dead; according to a State Department document detailing procurement plans for fiscal year 2025, the department is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles ... after the news broke, the document was amended to remove the word "Tesla;" the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman collided with a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt; Der Furor, after commuting the sentence of disgraced and corrupt Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, is reportedly considering appointing him ambassador to Serbia; and in Memphis, Tennessee, customers at a local food truck were undeterred by the presence of a dead shooting victim, stepping around him to place and pick up their orders.

This week, in honor of confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, I thought a collection of cartoons about death would be fitting. 

I'm sticking with the broccoli, anyhow ...


He must be a lawyer ...


Specially designed for alpha males ...


Couch potatoes always rest in peace ...


After you, Alphonse!


Well, what else would he read? ...


He would, wouldn't he? ...


I find myself asking that question at least three times a week ...


It surely is! ...


He'll be buried alongside the dynamite salesman ...


And that's it for this weekend's salute to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, our new Secretary of Health and Human Services ... who has also won the endorsement of the National Alliance of Funeral Directors.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday returns.

Bilbo

Friday, February 14, 2025

Great Moments in Editing and Signage


It's time for the first collection of Editorial and signage ya-ha's for February ... something to take your mind off the relentless bad news. Not as if you need it.

Priced to move ...


What is an "incorrect" bathing suit? Don't worry, Der Furor will soon define it in an executive order drafted by his White House "Faith Advisor" ...


It's a good way to get ahead ... so to speak ...


I guess thinking that Ben Franklin was a president suggests the need for better education ... maybe even a department thereof ...


Somehow, I don't think this is a very good choice for a Valentine's Day gift ...


"Zigeunerschnitzel" literally translates as "Gypsy Schnitzel." "Schnitzel with no fixed address" is probably not the best translation ...


School lunch menus after budget cuts probably leave something to be desired ...


This one is also not a recommended Valentine's Day gift ...


There's one thing in common on both lists ...


I hope the person who wrote this headline got a raise ...


And that's it for today! I hope you got a well-deserved - and certainly-needed - laugh.

Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for more thoughts on a deadly Cartoon Saturday. See you then.

Bilbo

Thursday, February 13, 2025

The Coming DC Real Estate Boom


People who know something of history and economics are shaking their heads over the direction of the new administration. Many of the actions that have been mandated in a blizzard of royal decrees Executive Orders seem counterproductive, cruel, questionably legal, arguably unconstitutional, and generally make no sense, viewed as a whole in a historical context, as a way to run a railroad.

But I think at least some of them can be understood by taking a closer look at a few things:

1. The administration is slashing thousands of government jobs, and wants to move many of those that remain out of Washington. This will result in a huge reduction in the amount of office space needed by government workers.

2. The head of the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, wants to sell off as much as 50% of the entire federal real estate portfolio

3. This will drop the bottom out of the commercial real estate market in Washington, leaving scores of buildings in prime locations for redevelopment.

4. And who, pray tell, claims to be the world's premiere real estate magnate, to know more about (insert topic) than anyone else, and has refused to divest himself of his business interests as he gleefully allows President Musk to handle the day-to-day nuisance of governing?

If you think Der Furor has the best interests of the American people at heart, just follow the money ... none of which you'll ever see or benefit from.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Spectral Evidence



Today is the birthday in 1663 of fire and brimstone Puritan preacher Cotton Mather (pictured above). During the Salem Witchcraft Trials in 1692, Mather generally supported the use by the prosecutors of “spectral evidence” against the defendants – evidence visible only to the witnesses themselves.  

Spectral evidence remains important, if not vital, today as President Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" and cowed Congressional Republicans employ it to "prove" - without evidence - the existence of titanic fraud and waste* in government, and of a weaponized federal government** they believe unfairly targets them. They appear to have missed the added warning Mr Mather provided to the judges:

"but (do not) lay more stress on pure spectral evidence than it will bear … It is very certain that the Devils have sometimes represented the shapes of persons not only innocent, but also very virtuous.”

With this and his other writings, Mather appeared to suggest that spectral evidence alone was sufficient to indict, but insufficient to convict the accused.

Our government is full neither of "Devils" nor the "very virtuous," but a slash-and-burn approach that shutters entire agencies without regard to the long-term effect will get rid of both, to the detriment of the nation and the world.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* That there is waste and fraud in some areas of government is hardly a secret. That it exists in the enormous numbers that are assumed by President Musk and the GOP and are used to justify the wholesale elimination of departments and programs is backed only by loud and repetitive innuendo, not by evidence.

** That the government has been weaponized is perfectly obvious under the new administration ... it's just weaponized against everyone who has either investigated in the past, is investigating now, or is in a position to potentially investigate the crimes committed by Der Furor, President Musk, and anyone else on the far right.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

The Pardon Power


Der Furor wasted no time in seizing the reins of power once he had been sworn in as the 47th President. He signed scores of royal decrees Executive Orders on a wide range of topics, many of them rescinding Executive Orders signed by previous presidents. He loves the trappings of power, and the imperial image of sitting at a desk with the cameras rolling, signing and showing off one huge, leather-bound order after another, is one of the joys of his presidential life. 

Many of his executive orders drew criticism for their mean-spiritedness or downright unconstitutionality, but few received as much condemnation from so many quarters as his full and complete pardons of persons imprisoned for crimes committed during the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. A significant number of those pardoned were sentenced after being convicted by juries for violent attacks against police officers (five of whom were killed) or causing millions of dollars of intentional damage to the Capitol itself.


The authority to issue pardons is established in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which says that the president 

"... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."

Because this wording is pretty straightforward, the presidential pardon power is almost always presented in the media and by presidential allies with adjectives like full, complete, and unlimited. Other adjectives which should perhaps apply, like judicious, appropriateearned, or deserved, are seldom used in the new America.

A president's pardon power is, in fact, somewhat limited; they can grant a pardon only to persons who were convicted in a United States District Court, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, or a military court-martial. They cannot pardon persons convicted in state courts and may not be able to pardon themselves - this has never been litigated before (and you can bet Der Furor would do so on his own behalf), although a simple reading of the Constitutional provision above ("... except in Cases of Impeachment") would argue against it*. 

You can argue about the propriety and appropriateness of former President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, and the preemptive pardons he issued to members of his family and to public servants likely to be targeted by a vengeful Furor ... I personally think they were ill-considered, yet well-intended, as compared to Der Furor's pardons issued to dangerous criminals for purposes of personal gain and revenge.

I believe that the inappropriate abuse of presidential pardon power argues for a clarification of guidelines and limits on that power. One hopes this could be accomplished by legislation validated by the Supreme Court rather than by Constitutional Amendment, but in today's overheated political environment, either one is probably out of the question. We will be stuck indefinitely with a presidential power that is both just and moral, but ripe for abuse.

What would I recommend as guidelines for pardon power? I believe there are four crimes that should be ineligible for presidential pardons:

Murder;
Crimes committed as intentional acts of terrorism, whether or not lives were lost;
Financial crimes which resulted in irrecoverable losses for the victims; and,
Treason**.

Pardons issued for other offenses should be carefully vetted and should reflect an appropriate balance of mercy and justice ... not presidential whim. 

Pardon me for thinking so.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* But my degrees are in Linguistics and International Relations, not Constitutional Law, so what do I know?

** The Constitutional definition of treason in Article III, Section 3 ("Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort") is vague and needs clarification in order to prevent abuse of the charge; Der Furor has his own ideas of who is guilty of treason, and his definition is, let's just say, "expansive."

Monday, February 10, 2025

The Eighth Circle and Beyond

 
If you've read Dante's Divine Comedy, and specifically the first volume, Inferno, you know that Dante imagined Hell as an inverted cone divided into nine circles to which sinners were assigned for punishment. The circles grew smaller in diameter as one neared the lowest depths of Hell, and at each descending level the punishments of the damned souls grew worse according to the severity of their sins. At the ninth - lowest - level, Satan was imprisoned in ice for all eternity.


But it's the eighth circle I want to talk about today, because I think it's the circle that is uniquely suited for the present day.

Unlike the other circles of Hell, the eighth was divided into a number of subcircles for a particularly loathsome group of condemned sinners, lumped together under the general sin of fraud; it housed those condemned for sins like:

Flattery;
Political Corruption;
Hypocrisy;
Theft;
Fraudulent Rhetoric;
Divisiveness;
Falsification;
Pimping and Seducing; and,
Sorcery and False Prophecy.

All of these exist in our present-day political culture as they did in Dante's time; indeed, given the advances in banking, computer science, communications technology, and broader horizons of white-collar graft, they're probably even more widespread at every level of politics:

Flattery - have you listened to Der Furor's appointees constantly praising his genius? It's fawning obsequiousness at its most sickening.
 
Political Corruption - Senator Bob Menendez and Justice Clarence Thomas ... need I say more?
 
Hypocrisy - the correct spelling of this word is "M-i-t-c-h-M-c-C-o-n-n-e-l-l."
 
Theft - do we know what President Musk's techno-kiddies did when they took control of sensitive Treasury Department computer systems?
 
Fraudulent Rhetoric - all politicians lie, although their fraudulent rhetoric is usually focused on shading of the truth for advantage, rather than the blatant out-and-out falsehoods that are daily occurrences with Der Furor and his appointees. See "Falsification" below.
 
Divisiveness - the noisy and shameful fight over DEI encapsulates it perfectly.
 
Falsification - in his first administration alone, Der Furor was estimated to have told more than 30,000 falsehoods. During his campaign, the interregnum, and his first few weeks as president, he continues to have only the most tenuous of relationships with the truth. Because he gets away with it and dismisses any attempt to check his claims as "fake news," his acolytes have no trouble doing the same. Pinocchio would be proud.
 
Pimping and Seducing - particularly widespread during election years, when credulous voters are seduced with grand promises immediately forgotten or downplayed one the desired office has been attained.
 
Sorcery and False Prophecy - these are, of course, the bedrock upon which most conservative economic theories rest. False prophecy is particularly useful to bolster claims about the fantastic economic benefits of tariffs, and how quickly the prices of homes, gas, and groceries will come down in a rosily-painted future.

One last category of sin punished in the eighth circle is Simony (the abuse of power within the Church). While Dante was focusing on things like the venal sale of Church offices and blessings, one might also consider simony today to include the sexual abuse of children by priests and - beyond the Catholic Church - clerics and adherents of religions who incite violence against those who observe faiths or sects other than their own. The equivalent of simony in modern government would probably include things like nepotism, favoritism, and sexual misconduct.

A 1998 article in the satirical newspaper The Onion announced the expansion of Hell to squeeze in a new tenth circle - Corpadverticus, The Circle of Total Bastards - between levels eight and nine. The new circle was said to have become necessary because many new arrivals possessed souls far more evil than the original nine circles were equipped to handle, such as demographers, advertising executives, tobacco lobbyists, and corporate lawyers. A spokesdemon quoted in the article as representing Satan said these new arrivals represented "a wave of spiritual decay and horror the likes of which Hell has never before seen.” Of course, Der Furor and Elon Musk hadn't arrived on the scene yet.

The Eighth Circle definitely isn't big enough.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo


Sunday, February 09, 2025

Musical Sunday


The wonderful singer/songwriter Marianne Faithfull passed away on January 30th. I have a great many "favorite" songs, but this great tune from Marianne Faithful ranks right up near the top of the list ...


A lot of tears are going by nowadays, for a lot of reasons. This one is as sad as any. Goodbye, Marianne.

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

Bilbo

Saturday, February 08, 2025

Enough with the "Overwhelming Mandate" Already!


In a comment on my Facebook page the other day, my friend Paul asked why everyone was so incensed about the actions being taken by Elon Musk and his DOGE cohort. He wrote,

"I honestly would like to understand why people feel the way they do about Musk. The man was appointed by a duly elected president to perform a duty, not much unlike any one of his cabinet numbers, and he is simply performing a task at the behest of Trump based on the overwhelming mandate, put forth by 77 million Americans." 

I answered Paul at length, and I won't bother you with my entire screed. But there's one element of his comment and my response that bears pushback as often and as loudly as is humanly possible, because it strikes at the heart of what Der Furor's followers fervently believe:

Der Furor Does Not Have an "Overwhelming Mandate"

Der Furor Does Not Have an "Overwhelming Mandate"

Der Furor Does Not Have an "Overwhelming Mandate"

Der Furor Does Not Have an "Overwhelming Mandate"

It's easy to believe in an "overwhelming mandate" when all you hear in the right-wing echo chamber is that "he won the votes of 77 million Americans." 

In fact, he won a bare majority of the popular vote: 77,303,573 (49.8%), as opposed to the 75,019,257 (48.3%) won by Kamala Harris. This is hardly an "overwhelming mandate," although Der Furor and his supporters claim it is. 

They ignore the fact that Der Furor did not win the votes of 75 million Americans ... Kamala Harris did. The difference between the two is 2,284,316 - a winning margin to be sure, but out of a total vote of 152,322,830, hardly an "overwhelming mandate."

Just cut it out.

Accept the fact that almost half of America voted against Der Furor and is appalled by the actions of his administration.

Stop believing in the fiction of the overwhelming mandate.

And maybe, just maybe, we can work on getting our country back and actually fixing its problems, rather than giving a dangerous hobby to a super-rich bomb-thrower who bought himself a presidency.

Have a good day. Stop the real steal. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday


How is it that this month isn't over yet? ...

President Musk and Vice-President Der Furor have ordered the General Services Administration to terminate all federal office space leases in Washington ... at the same time they have ordered all federal workers to return to in-person work; at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Der Furor announced that "the US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too;" Waffle House restaurants are now charging a surcharge of 50 cents for each egg used in their meals to compensate for the increasing price of eggs; and in - where else? - Florida, a man in a Dalmatian onesie with one hand cuffed escaped Pasco County police after a traffic stop ... he was arrested the following day. 

We haven't had a curated collection for a while, so let's try it! This week, cartoons featuring everyone's favorite Gorgon, Medusa ... 

Interracial families aren't usually a problem, but ...


There's a reason for hygiene regulations in restaurants ...


This must have been during the Covid lockdown ...


Etiquette can be difficult sometimes ...


I've always wondered if Michelangelo had a muse ...


Uh, oh ...


That first gray snake is always a downer, isn't it? ...


That's a ... honkin' big head of geese ...


I've often wondered if Rapunzel and Medusa were half-sisters ...


I never thought about the possibility of a reverse Medusa ...


And that's it for the first curated cartoon collection in a while ... I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday remembers the late Marianne Faithfull. See you then.

Bilbo

Friday, February 07, 2025

The MAGA Government Aptitude and Placement Exam


Obtained from a confidential source ...

Thank you for your interest in serving in Musk's Alternative Government for America (MAGA). This MAGA Government Aptitude and Placement Exam will help us evaluate your suitability for employment in the new, rightsized United States Government as established by the Department of Government Efficiency. Please fill in the personal data requested in Part 1, then complete the exam by marking the appropriate answers:

PART 1
PERSONAL INFORMATION

Your Name: _______________________

Your Race:
a. ___ Caucasian
b. ___ Other (Stop here. No positions are available.)

Your Sex (there are only two choices):
a. ___ Male
b. ___ Female (attach photograph)
 
Your Ethnic Background
a. ___ Northern European
b. ___ Shithole Country (Stop here. No positions are available.)

Your Religion:
a. ___ Christian (Trump Bible-observing denominations only)
b. ___ Other (Stop here. No positions are available.)

Do you claim hiring preference as a DEI (Definitely European Individual) candidate?
YES ___ 
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

PART 2
SUITABILITY EXAMINATION

1. Who won the 2020 Presidential election?
a. ___ Donald Trump
b. ___ Not Donald Trump (Stop here. No positions are available.) 

2. The Constitution consists of the Second Amendment and some other outdated and incorrect stuff about government.
YES ___ 
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

3. The Founders clearly stated that the United States is a 100% Christian nation, and that all other false religions are causes of terrorism.
YES ___  
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

4. "Climate Change" has absolutely no scientific basis, and people who believe in it are radical lunatics and probably terrorists.
YES ___ 
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

5. The United States is the most exceptional nation ever founded, is a shining example for the rest of the world, is incapable of doing anything wrong, and anyone who says otherwise is a radical lunatic terrorist.
YES ___
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

6. The federal government must rein in wasteful spending on useless and fraudulent things like welfare, education, food safety, public health, foreign aid, and environmental protection.
YES ___
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

7. All political, economic, and social problems can be solved by applying tariffs at a minimum rate of 75%.
YES ___
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

8. Taxes on businesses, corporations, and the top 1% of the population are counterproductive because they limit the economic success which eventually benefits the lower-income population.
YES ___
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

9. Do you have any educational background or practical experience in the position for which you are applying?
YES ___ (Stop here. Education and relevant experience disqualify you for consideration for any position)
NO ___

10. Just to be clear, who won the 2020 presidential election?
a. ___ Donald Trump
b. ___ Not Donald Trump (You're a loser. Stop here. No positions are available.) 

11. Anyone who disagrees with the correct answer to any of the above questions is a radical lunatic terrorist who hates America.
YES ___
NO ___ (Stop here. No positions are available.)

Thank you for taking the MAGA Government Aptitude and Placement Examination. If you incorrectly answered any of the questions above, please turn in your answer sheet, leave, and go to Canada (unless it has already been assimilated as the 51st state) or someplace else where your godless radical lunatic socialist ways will be appreciated.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2025


Any hope that the new administration that took office on January 20th would govern in a sober and responsible manner to address the nation's problems was quickly buried under the chaos of its first three weeks. President Elon Musk and Vice-President Der Furor have cut a wide swath of destruction through the machinery of government, governed in clearly illegal and unconstitutional ways, picked needless fights with allies and adversaries alike, squandered our international reputation, and governed by - in the immortal words of Steve Bannon "flooding the zone with shit."

A major driver of incoherent and unruly governance is today's ass clown designee. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the award of

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for February, 2025


is presented to

The "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE)


Headed by billionaire Elon Musk, who purchased the presidency last year with his illegal contribution of more than a third of a billion dollars to Der Furor's campaign, DOGE has rushed forward to bulldoze federal offices and programs to which President Musk* and Vice President Der Furor object. One of its first actions was to send an e-mail to most federal employees, suggesting that they accept "deferred resignation" and leave their "lower productivity government jobs" for "higher productivity jobs in the private sector," in exchange for full pay and benefits through the end of the fiscal year. 

This e-mail was clearly stupid and insulting, as well as likely illegal - making the guarantee that federal employees who accepted the "deferred resignation" could take other full-time employment while still receiving their federal salaries. In any case, the federal government is, at the moment, funded only through March 14th via the latest continuing resolution which Congress passed just before Christmas in order to avoid defaulting over its inability to pass a federal budget ... making guarantees of pay after March 14th obviously impossible. (NOTE: on February 6th, a federal judge temporarily blocked the action until Monday, February 10th, pending further review.)


It must be emphasized that "DOGE" has no legal authority and has never been approved or funded by Congress ... it is a whole-cloth creation of President Musk and Vice-President Der Furor to stoke their fever dream of eliminating government waste. Its entire purpose appears to be to sow confusion and despair throughout the government and encourage public servants to leave, making room for loyalists whose allegiance is not to the Constitution or the nation, but to Musk and Der Furor.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the so-called "Department of Government Efficiency" is the Right-Cheek Ass Clown winner for February, 2025. We can only hope that good government can be reconstructed from whatever wreckage is left behind.

Have a good day. Let your elected representatives know what you think about the destruction of your government, especially if those representatives are hard-right GOP characters who have swallowed the MAGA kool aid or are terrified of their MAGAt base.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Also known as a "Special Government Employee" under 18 USC §202, wink, nudge. Under this law, a "Special Government Employee" may only be "retained, designated, appointed, or employed" for 130 days out of a consecutive 365, but considering how much damage this one has done in less than three weeks, it really doesn't matter.

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Another Look Behind the Dead Cats and Fecal Floods


In yesterday's post, I offered an example of an action Der Furor's administration is quietly taking while you are distracted by the dead cats he keeps throwing on tables and the floods of ... feces ... he and his henchmen are pouring down on our heads. Today, I have another example.

It began when I told my daughter that I was thinking of going into DC to take part in the demonstrations against the lawless and unconstitutional actions of President Musk and his noisy Vice President, the Orange Airhorn. She thought it was the right thing to do, but advised that I closely read one of Der Furor's blizzard of royal pronouncements executive orders - number 14189, dated January 29th, 2025, and titled Celebrating America's 250th Birthday.

Who could object to celebrating America's 250th birthday, right? Well ...

Section 4 of this executive order reinstates Der Furor's executive order number 13933, dated June 20, 2020, which was revoked by President Biden in May, 2021. EO 13933 is titled "Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence," and Section 2(b) of that order reads as follows:

(b) It is the policy of the United States to prosecute to the fullest extent permitted under Federal law, and as appropriate, any person or any entity that participates in efforts to incite violence or other illegal activity in connection with the riots and acts of vandalism described in section 1 of this order. Numerous Federal laws, including section 2101 of title 18, United States Code, prohibit the violence that has typified the past few weeks in some cities. Other statutes punish those who participate in or assist the agitators who have coordinated these lawless acts. Such laws include section 371 of title 18, United States Code, which criminalizes certain conspiracies to violate Federal law, section 2 of title 18, United States Code, which punishes those who aid or abet the commission of Federal crimes, and section 2339A of title 18, United States Code, which prohibits as material support to terrorism efforts to support a defined set of Federal crimes. Those who have joined in recent violent acts around the United States will be held accountable.

First of all, one might legitimately ask why Der Furor, in the last days of his prior reign, did not "prosecute to the fullest extent permitted under Federal law" the members of the mob that "destroy(ed), damage(d), vandalize(d), or desecrate(d) a monument, memorial, or statue within the United States or otherwise vandalize(d) government property* (i.e., the United States Capitol) ... and, in fact, pardoned them for their crimes**. That's a rhetorical question, of course - obviously, there are tiers of law and accountability that privilege Der Furor's supporters over everyone else ... despite their outraged howls that the government has been "weaponized" against them.

But the specific concern my daughter had about my participation in demonstrations is based on the very broad and unspecific nature of what constitutes criminal behavior under this executive order. What is a "lawless act?" Does participating in an otherwise legal expression of my first amendment right peaceably to assemble constitute "participat(ing) in or assist(ing) the agitators who have coordinated ... lawless acts" or "supporting a defined set of Federal crimes?" I'm reminded of former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's classic reference to “the elastic evidentiary bar used by [Der Furor's] administration.” 

Inquiring, worried minds want to know before exercising their rights.

Keep paying attention to the man behind the curtain and be careful how you protest. Your country and your rights are being stolen while your eyes just see dead cats as you tread ... water ... to stay afloat on the rivers of feces.

More worried thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Executive Order 13933, June 20, 2020, Section 2(a).

** Proclamation 10887, January 29, 2025, "Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Certain Offenses Relating to the Events at or Near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021."

 
 

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Dead Cats, Fecal Floods, and a Real-World Example of What's Going On


In my daily early morning conversation with my daughter the other day, she used an expression I hadn't heard before - "throwing a dead cat on the table." It turns out that this refers to something called the Dead Cat Strategy, or deadcatting, defined as

"the political strategy of deliberately making a shocking announcement to divert media attention away from problems or failures in other areas."


This is, of course, a subset of the strategy professional political cat-thrower Steve Bannon called "flooding the zone with shit" (overwhelming opponents with outrageous and malodorous hogwash to keep them distracted and unable to focus on any one issue).

The zone nowadays is full of ... feces ... and all the tables are covered with dead cats. This is the modus operandi of the present administration: keep your opposition off balance by coming up with something newer and more insane every day. How do you triage the crazy when it's coming at you so fast there's no time to address one item of buffoonery before the next hundred hit you?

Ask yourself: in this vast, all-encompassing fecal perfect storm, what's really important? What are "they" trying to hide? What's the real agenda? Here's a current, real-world example:

On January 13th, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a proposed rule titled "Special Registrations for Telemedicine and Limited State Telemedicine Registrations" for public comment, with the comment period to end on March 18th. In its pdf form, the proposed rule is 58 three-column pages of dense legalese in tiny print. On the very last page, §1306.46, titled "State Laws Applicable to Special Registration Prescriptions," says,

When issuing a special registration prescription, a special registrant must comply with the laws and regulations of:

(a) The state in which the special registrant is located during the telemedicine encounter resulting in the special registration prescription;

(b) The state in which the patient is located during the telemedicine encounter resulting in the special registration prescription; and

(c) Any state or states in which the special registrant maintains a DEA registration to dispense controlled substances or a medical license, to the extent that the law or regulation applies to telemedicine encounters between practitioners and patients located in the states described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

There are multiple layers of information and regulation to unpack here. What this means, once you reach the bottom of the rabbit hole of cascading and confusing definitions and translate the legalese into plain English, is that a doctor issuing a prescription online or via a telemedicine portal must comply not only with the laws of his or her state, but also those of the state where the patient is located. It is clearly intended to prevent women in red states where birth control or abortifacient drugs are illegal from obtaining them from doctors in states where their prescription is allowed.

Would you have known about this if my daughter hadn't pointed it out to me and I hadn't investigated it and pointed it out to you? 

What other rules are being quietly crafted by an administration that claims to hate rules crafted by "unelected bureaucrats" while your attention is being diverted by dead cats floating through the zone on tsunamis of shit?

It's hard to deal with dead cats and fecal floods, but we've got to do it. Don't let Der Furor and his minions get away with the gaslighting and sleight of hand they use to keep us distracted and helpless. Turn anger into action in the ways recommended by Mike in this important postDo pay attention to the man behind the curtain ... 


... because he's counting on you not doing it. 

Have a good day. Move the dead cats out of the way, shovel the shit away, and keep an eye on the men behind the curtain who would rob you of your freedoms.

Bilbo

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

DUMBCON and Gohmert-Greene Score Updates


The last time I updated the National Stupidity Condition (DUMBCON) was on October 22nd of last year, when we went from DUMBCON Zero ("Stupid Beyond Your Worst Nightmares") to DUMBCON Minus One ("Forget It, Just Hide Under Your Bed") in preparation for the election. Since the return of Der Furor to the White House, the situation has deteriorated far more quickly than I had expected, and I find myself forced to update the stupidity level yet again. To accommodate the current situation, I have had to go all the way back to 2018 for a version of the DUMBCON scale able to handle the breadth and depth of stupidity cascading from Der Furor and his teeming MAGAts:


In order to keep up with the cascading ass-clownery, I have decided to raise the DUMBCON by an unprecedented two levels. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, we are skipping DUMBCON Minus Two ("What a Bunch of S**t") and going directly to

DUMBCON Minus Three
("Please God, Make It Stop")

I wish I could tell you that this is as high (or low) as we'll need to go, but the lower the bar, the harder this administration works to limbo under it. The highest DUMBCON level we ever reached was Minus Five ... and at the rate we're going, it'll be breached soon.

In addition to raising the DUMBCON at the national level, I am also assigning a permanent minimum score of 1,500,000 gags (the upper limit of "Dangerously Stupid") on the Gohmert-Greene Stupidity Scale to a number of current and prospective members of the administration, based on their past records, public comments, and suitability for their positions.


The individuals receiving the initial score of 1,500,000 gags are:

President Elon Musk
Der Furor;
Vice President JD Vance;
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt;
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth;
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent;
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem;
Commerce Secretary Nominee Howard Lutnick;
Attorney General Pam Bondi;
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy;
Health and Human Services Secretary Nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr;
Education Secretary Nominee Linda McMahon;
FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel;
Director of National Intelligence Nominee Tulsi Gabbard;
OMB Director Nominee Russ Vought; and
UN Ambassador Nominee Elise Stefanik

I am provisionally withholding a decision on a permanent minimum score for other officials with whom I am less familiar.

Stand by for updates on both the DUMBCON and the awarding of Gohmert-Greene scores.

Have a good day, and guard yourself against the relentless gaslighting.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo