The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for May, 2025

Although it's hard to select a single award winner each period, I can usually pare the list of "worthy" candidates down to ... oh ... between 132 and 956. This time is no exception. I did, though, finally manage to make a selection which is, sadly, a bitter comment on this time in our nation's history.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, with a heavy heart I present the award for

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for May, 2025

to

Homeland Security Secretary

Kristi Noem

Former South Dakota governor and serving DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was previously best known for her book "No Going Back," in which she described shooting her ill-behaved dog, defending the action as a regrettable but necessary part of country life. It was that willingness to be cold-blooded that may have inspired Der Furor to elevate her to her current position, in which she unapologetically carries out heavy-handed, if not illegal and unconstitutional actions against persons believed to be in the country illegally.

Make no mistake: I have no particular sympathy for those who break our laws to come and live here illegally, regardless of their motivation. Likewise, I have no sympathy at all for any member of Congress over the years who has steadfastly refused to update our immigration and asylum laws* to meet the needs of the present, nor do I have any sympathy for the previous administration that ignored a serious problem. But the present deport everyone, ignore the legality and morality, and sort it all out in court approach embodied by Secretary Noem's leadership in unquestioning support of Der Furor's political needs flies in the face of every traditionally American concept of fairness, humanity, and the rule of law.

In several recent incidents**, men claiming to be agents of the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) smashed car windows to drag out and arrest suspected illegal immigrants. In another case, agents raided a house in search of illegal aliens who no longer lived there, instead forcing a US citizen mother and her daughters out of their house and confiscating their phones, computers, and identification without any receipt or information on where their items were taken.

Secretary Noem insists that her agency is going after "the worst of the worst," but it appears more likely that it is going for the lowest of the low-hanging fruit in an attempt to bump up its numbers, using such tactics as arresting persons reporting for immigration interviews, regardless of whether they are the"bad hombres" Der Furor insists are invading the nation. 

Secretary Noem revels in photo ops like those shown above, presenting a cosplay version of the uncompromisingly tough image so beloved of her boss.

And last but not least, Secretary Noem has made a last-minute addition to the Coast Guard*** budget for 2025: $50 million for a new Gulfstream 5 aircraft for her personal use, her existing Gulfstream 5 apparently being too old^†. I hope it doesn't have any spare parts subject to tariffs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is our Left-Cheek Ass Clown for May, 2025. 

Have a good day, and be sure to try to look white, Anglo-Saxon, and Christian when Kristi Noem is around ... not that it's a valid defense if her minions are smashing their way into your home or car.

Come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday ... you know you need it.

Bilbo

* You may recall that I have frequently proposed - and routinely updated - a plan to deal with the illegal immigration crisis, and have been offering it to my elected officials since I first published it many years ago.

** (1) New Bedford, MA; (2) Waltham, MA;  (3) Chelsea, MA. 

*** The US Coast Guard, formerly part of the Department of Transportation, was folded into DHS when that agency was created after the 9/11 attacks.

† Old airplanes are a thing. Der Furor has complained about having to fly in a 40-year-old airplane, using it as partial justification for accepting the "flying palace" gifted by the government of Qatar. Poor boy ...