The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for December, 2025

The last month of the year has arrived, and with it the need to select the final two ass clowns of 2025 (more if a special award becomes necessary). 

If you've read, watched, streamed, or heard the news over the last two weeks, you know that the level of noteworthy ass clownery has skyrocketed each month, making it extraordinarily difficult to select winners. Nevertheless, I opened this can of worms with the first Ass Clown Award back in 2011 (presented to Der Furor, believe it or not), and I'll continue to do my duty to shine the light of shame on deserving winners.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I present the award for

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for December, 2025

to

Federation Internationale

de

Football Association*

FIFA is the world governing body for the sport of football, or "soccer" as it's known in the United States. Until this year, the primary functions of FIFA were to encourage and standardize worldwide play of the sport and oversee the planning and execution of the World Cup championship every four years.

In 2026, the World Cup games will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the ceremony to draw initial match assignments was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, last week. This is normally an event of only minor interest (except to the national football teams, of course), but this year the event drew great attention because of its detour into shameless political point-scoring when FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented the first-ever "FIFA Peace Prize" to Der Furor.

It's no secret, of course, that Der Furor desperately wants a Nobel Peace Prize and has loudly proclaimed his desire and supposed qualifications for the award at every opportunity, taking credit for "ending" any number of "wars" in the last year (the number varies with his mood). The decision by Mr Infantino to invent his own "peace prize" and present it to his longtime friend was not only a transparent attempt to flatter a man widely known for his vanity and lust for praise and recognition, but also an investment in trying to minimize the negative impact of the administrations aggressive immigration control policies on attendance at and participation in the hugely profitable World Cup games. Der Furor, for his part, wasted no time in snatching up the medal and ribbon and hanging them around his own neck

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for December, 2025, is presented to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)  (FIFA) and to its director, Gianni Infantino, for their attempt to curry favor with Der Furor with a meaningless award created only to appeal to his ego and endless desire for flattery.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday - this week with a Christmas theme.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

UPDATE: On Tuesday of this week, after I'd finished drafting this post, FairSquare, a London-based human rights nonprofit that focuses on sports, said it had filed ethics complaints alleging breaches of FIFA’s statutory duty to be politically neutral and requesting an investigation into Gianni Infantino’s "peace prize" award to Der Furor. Good luck with that.

B.

* In English, the International Federation of Association Football.

Fear and Obey

When addressing the Supreme Court this past Monday in the case of Trump v. Slaughter, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that a president requires absolute power and control over all members of the Executive Branch, including the power to fire the heads of independent agencies, in order to fulfill the mandate given to him by the voters who put him in power. In response to a question from Justice Kavanaugh, Mr. Sauer emphasized the importance of this power, saying that:

"... the President's removal power is what is dictated by the Constitution, that the President must have the power to control and that these agencies -- the one who has the power to remove is the one who -- is the person that they have to fear and obey."*

Fear and obey.

These three words summarize the implications of the so-called unitary executive theory beloved by the administration, and illustrate the reason we need to remember why we declared independence from a king 250 years ago.

Kings and dictators rule by fear to enforce obedience, because they have no legitimacy other than the raw power that keeps them in office. In the United States, until the dawn of Der Furor's reign, presidents generally ruled by listening and responding to the needs and desires of the voting public ... both those who voted against them and those who voted for them. Der Furor has made it abundantly clear on many occasions that he is interested only in the needs, desires, and welfare of those who voted for him ... and that only so long as they continue to unquestioningly support him.

This is the future that looms as the Supreme Court debates this case. It has already granted Der Furor immunity from oversight and legal accountability in the case of Trump v United States**, and it will continue this march to dictatorship if it finds, as it appears likely to do, that he has the power to fire any executive branch employee at any time, for any reason (or none). For a superb analysis of where this could all go, read this article by Harry Litman in the Talking Feds Substack, which concludes,

"The Court will destabilize the architecture of modern governance and then step back as if it had merely rearranged the furniture. The cost of this rollback of much of the administrative state will be borne by all the people who have greatly benefited from the political insulation and expertise of independent agencies for the last 100 years – that is, all of us."

Fear and obey. 

Next time you cast a vote, consider whether this is the sort of future you really want for your children. And my grandchildren.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Trump v. Slaughter transcript, page 55, lines 10-15.

** Certainly the most aptly-named SCOTUS case ever.

The National Security Strategy, 2025

This past week, with none of the fanfare that has accompanied past releases of the document, Der Furor's administration released its 2025 National Security Strategy. 

The National Security Strategy (or NSS), released annually, explains an administration's view of the challenges the United States faces around the world and provides the framework around which government agencies are expected to plan their activities to implement the president's national security vision. As you might expect from an administration largely staffed with unqualified and incompetent people, the 2025 NSS is a mess, described by one commentator as seeming to have been written by either a fourth-grader or AI. Reading it, you might be excused for thinking the cover should have read a bit differently - 

First of all, as anyone who has watched one of Der Furor's Cabinet meetings could have expected, the document is heavy on effusive praise of the matchless accomplishments of the Supreme Leader ...

"President Trump has cemented his legacy as The President of Peace. In addition to the remarkable success achieved during his first term with the historic Abraham Accords, President Trump has leveraged his dealmaking ability to secure unprecedented peace in eight conflicts throughout the world over the course of just eight months of his second term." (Page 8)

"President Trump has set a new global standard" (Page 12) 

"[The] “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine is a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities" (Page 15)

"President Trump single-handedly reversed more than three decades of mistaken American assumptions about China" (Page 19) 

"President Trump is building alliances and strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific that will be the bedrock of security and prosperity long into the future." (Page 19)

"President Trump’s May 2025 state visits to Persian Gulf countries demonstrated the power and appeal of American technology." (Page 23) 

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains thorny, but thanks to the ceasefire and release of hostages President Trump negotiated, progress toward a more permanent peace has been made." (Page 28) 

"President Trump’s ability to unite the Arab  world at Sharm el-Sheikh in pursuit of peace and  normalization will allow the United States to finally prioritize American interests." (Page 29) 

You could be forgiven for thinking that there's no need for any government other than the all-powerful genius of Der Furor.

While claiming to have "rebuilt our alliances" (Page i), this president has thoroughly wrecked our international standing and insulted and alienated traditional allies who now decline to share intelligence information they fear may be used to facilitate war crimes ... as if we were in an actual war Constitutionally declared by Congress.

I could go on, but I call your attention to this excellent article by Eliot Cohen in The Atlantic, which discusses the incoherence and idiocy of this NSS while acknowledging that it does contain "three ideas that, stripped of the rants and the brownnosing, are important and at least partially true*." You may also be interested in this article by Jason Horowitz from the New York Times, which looks at the "strategy" in terms of its showcasing of Der Furor's contempt for European leaders.

The "National Security Strategy for 2025" demonstrates how, in the space of a mere 11 months, one shallow, spiteful, unserious man ignorant of all but his own prejudices, aided and abetted by a servile Congress and a loftily arrogant Supreme Court, has destroyed our standing in the world and our reputation as a reliable ally.

Have as good a day as you can consistent with the destruction of our international reputation and the debasement of competent and accountable government.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* These are: (1) acknowledgement of the importance to the United States of the Western Hemisphere; (2) a change in approach to African nations from direct development aid to improvement in commerce; and (3) emphasizing the threat of uncontrolled mass migration to European nations.

The Cost of the Twelve Days of Christmas, 2025 Edition

One of the most popular traditional Christmas songs is "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which documents the cascading list of gifts "my true love gave to me" over the course of twelve days. Each year at this time, various banks and other organizations estimate the cost of the gifts, which ends up being ... well ... pretty substantial. According to PNC Bank, the total cost of the Twelve Days of Christmas for 2025 - counting the repetition of the gifts in each verse of the song - is $218,542.98, up 4.4% from last year.

That's all well and good, but I think that this year, we need to look at the gifts of the twelve days of Christmas in a manner that actually reflects the current political and economic environment ...

The traditional gifts are:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree;

Two Turtle Doves;

Three French Hens;

Four Calling Birds;

Five Gold Rings;

Six Geese a-Laying;

Seven Swans a-Swimming; 

Eight Maids a-Milking;

Nine Ladies Dancing;

Ten Lords a-Leaping; 

Eleven Pipers Piping; and,

Twelve Drummers Drumming.

Let's see how they're all faring this year.

First of all, scratch the Partridges, Turtle Doves, French Hens, Calling Birds, Geese, and Swans. The Centers for Disease Control, under the "direction" of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, has deemphaized research into and emphasis on the development and employment of vaccines that control diseases like ... bird flu. Thus, birds - as potential carriers of deadly avian-borne diseases - should be eliminated from the gift list.

Forget the Pear Trees ... Der Furor's Executive Order 14225 of March 1, 2025 ("Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production") opened up huge stretches of forests to commercial logging, which means that pear trees will be in increasingly short supply and their cost will skyrocket. 

Maids a-Milking are in short supply, as many of the people working in such low-level farming jobs have questionable immigration status and have either been scooped up and deported in ICE raids, voluntarily returned to their home countries, or gone to ground so as not to draw attention to themselves. If you can find any, you can probably get them cheap, although you'll risk prosecution for harboring criminal illegal aliens.

Dancing Ladies, Pipers, and Drummers are decreasing in number as a result of the administration's slashing of support to music and the arts. Those that remain may be willing to work at reduced rates just to have jobs.

Gold Rings remain a viable gift, but have been overshadowed by emphasis on cryptocurrencies and, for the MAGA faithful, by the $TRUMP memecoin as an expression of their slavish devotion to Der Furor and his relentless monetization of the presidency. "Five Trump memecoins" still follows the rhythm of the original song.

Finally, there should be plenty of Lords a-Leaping available for this year's Twelve Days of Christmas list. Der Furor's Executive Order 14351 of September 19, 2025, established the "Trump Gold Card" program to "facilitate the  entry of aliens who have demonstrated their ability and desire to advance the interests of the United States by voluntarily providing a significant financial gift to the Nation" - such gifts to start at a minimum of $1,000,000. This will encourage not only "lords" (with traditional hereditary titles and inherited fortunes) but plenty of otherwise unremarkable and often boorish ... or even criminal ... nouveau riche whose only qualification for citizenship is wealth with which to buy it. 

I'm sorry, but "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is probably not a very good holiday song this year. Better luck in 2026.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

We're into the Christmas season, where - in better times - we celebrated peace on earth, good will toward men*, care for the stranger, and all that other schmaltzy stuff. But this year, Christmas is marked by a relative absence of good will, especially on the part of Der Furor's adoration society, and so I've decided to feature today a Yuletide poem more suited to the current political reality ...

Yule Horror**

by H. P. Lovecraft

There is snow on the ground, 

And the valleys are cold, 

And a midnight profound 

Blackly squats o'er the wold;

But a light on the hilltops half-seen hints of 

     feastings un-hallowed and old.

There is death in the clouds, 

There is fear in the night, 

For the dead in their shrouds 

Hail the sin's turning flight.

And chant wild in the woods as they dance round

     a Yule-altar fungous and white.

To no gale of Earth's kind

Sways the forest of oak,

Where the sick boughs entwined 

By mad mistletoes choke,

For these pow'rs are the pow'rs of the dark, from 

     the graves of the lost Druid-folk."

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend, and hang in there ... I'll get back to more seasonal thoughts in future posts.

Bilbo

* "Men" is used in its non gender-specific meaning, of course.

** This poem was first published in Weird Tales magazine in December 1926, and was later renamed "Festival."

Cartoon Saturday

So much for December improving on November ... 

After describing himself as "The Affordability President" just last week, Der Furor has changed his opinion and described affordability as a "Democrat hoax" and a "con job;" Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire for possible charges of murder or war crimes after news broke of a deliberate attack on survivors of a previous attack on a boat allegedly carrying drugs; Netflix has announced plans to purchase the film and streaming business of Warner Brothers for $72  billion, which would create a new entertainment behemoth; Der Furor was presented with the first-ever "FIFA Peace Prize," which is unusual considering his well-documented disgust with the sort of foreigners who may visit the US for the World Cup games; the administration has published an updated and incoherent National Security Strategy which describes national security in terms of business deals and great power spheres of influence; and a 73-year-old Mississippi man is facing charges in Louisiana for allegedly trying to buy a baby from her mother at an auction house.

The first Saturday of December brings with it the first cartoon collection of the month!

I can totally relate to this one ...

And to this one, too! ...

And I think we can all relate to this one ...

It's probably a constant problem ...

Now, that's some world-class reddin' up, as we used to say back home in Pittsburgh ...

Watch your step ...

We do this expedition about once a year, usually in PPE ...

Somebody is watching too much "Game of Thrones" ...

I wonder if they saw that one coming ...

It'd be on my list nowadays ...

And that's it for Cartoon Saturday, December 6th, 2025 - I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and make sure you're ready for the holidays ... they'll be here before you know it, tariffs and all. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

It's a new month! Let's start it off with a new set of Great Moments!

Uh ... perhaps a carrier pigeon might be better ...

I'm sure there's an explanation for this, but I'm not sure I want to hear it ...

What on earth would you use this for? ...

Oh ... never mind ...

If you're feeling crisp and juicy, you should probably sit somewhere else ...

Not a bad price for fart-free roast beef! ...

Second class men, ten euros and up ... such a deal! ...

Wait, what? ...

Sounds like the sort of trials that are held under today's DOJ ...

I wonder if she had one of those seafood and crap sandwiches ...

And that's it for the first set of Great Moments for December - I hope you got a laugh out of it to help you over the laughless news.

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

Bilbo

What Our Children Are Learning

This meme recently appeared on my Facebook feed:

I didn't know whether to be sad or angry, so I settled on both. And I figured I might as well add a few points the meme's author missed:

It's un-American to question the actions of your government. 

 

If you're strong and rich, laws don't apply to you; you can behave terribly and not suffer any consequences.

The truth is whatever you say it is, as long as you repeat it loud and long enough.

You can ignore inconvenient facts and manufacture your own as you need. 

I have three adult children, and six grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to 25. I hope that they continue to reject the despicable example set by this president and the members of his administration. And I hope that I never behave in a way that makes them think I would behave so terribly.

Have a good day. Believe in the Constitution and the law, not in the squalid and disgusting behavior of the current leadership.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Murder without Consequence

We've come to expect the new normality of Der Furor's administration: blatant, unapologetic corruption; abuse of the justice system for the benefit of Der Furor's friends and the persecution of his enemies; destruction of the federal government for the benefit of the few; undermining of public health in the service of junk science and personal whims; the violent roundups, often on the basis simply of skin tone or vocal accent, of those suspected to be in the country illegally; and presidential speech more suitable to slobbering grade-school bullies.

But now, we can add murder.

In the name of a righteous battle against drug traffickers, the Department of Defense has attacked 22 small boats in the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing nearly 100 people without the presentation of the smallest shred of evidence of their guilt. This is bad enough, but credible reporting now indicates that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth - arguably the least-qualified person ever to hold the office - directed that the survivors of one attack be eliminated in a second strike.

Make no mistake: this is cold-blooded murder. It violates US law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the laws of war, international law, and probably a lot of other laws, too ... not to mention common morality. If we had a real, honest, functioning government, Hegseth have been sacked on the spot, along with everyone in the chain of command that participated in passing the order down and actually pulling the trigger. It is so egregious that even some Republican members of Congress - who have not heretofore covered themselves in glory by speaking out against the lawlessness of Der Furor and his cronies - are calling for "vigorous oversight" of strikes on alleged drug boats.

I predict, based on previous administration actions, that denial and stonewalling will be the order of the day. If anyone is held to account or actually punished, it will be the lowest-ranking person in the "kill chain" - Hegseth, and the generals and admirals who passed on his murderous orders without pushback, will suffer no consequences, servile Republicans will "investigate" and issue a bland and innocuous report, and the killings will continue.

I served 23 years in the United States Air Force, and am proud of my service and of our military institutions. But I am ashamed of the administration and of those in positions of military leadership who fail to speak out against the sort of actions for which we held Nazi and Imperial Japanese leaders nearly a century ago. "I was only following orders" was not a valid defense then, and it is not now.

In a recent video, six Democratic lawmakers, all former military or intelligence professionals,  reminded military personnel that they are not required to follow illegal orders. Republican lawmakers and administration spokestoadies condemned them for undermining military discipline ... but we now clearly see what happens when illegal orders are followed. If anything, the makers of the video underplayed the danger to good military order and discipline in service of "only following orders."

I'm more disgusted with Der Furor and his ghastly reign than ever. You should be, too.

Have a good day. Speak out. Demand accountability, from the top as well as the bottom.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

I first heard a trimmed down version of this wonderful song a few weeks ago when it was played for a rumba heat in a European dance competition. I loved the melody and lyrics and tracked down the video, which is today's Musical Sunday offering: Roy Orbison singing "She's a Mystery."

Here are the lyrics:

Darkness falls and she will take me by the hand 

Take me to some twilight land 

Where all but love is grey 

Where I can't find my way 

Without her as my guide 

Night falls I'm cast beneath her spell 

Daylight comes our heaven turns to hell 

Am I left to burn and burn eternally 

She's a mystery to me 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

In the night of love words tangled in her hair 

Words soon to disappear 

A love so sharp it cut 

Like a switchblade to my heart 

Words tearing me apart 

She tears again my bleeding heart 

I want to run she's pulling me apart 

Fallen angel cries and I just melt away 

She's a mystery to me 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

Haunted by her side is the darkness in her eyes 

That so enslaves me 

But if my love is blind 

Then I don't want to see 

She's a mystery to me 

Night falls I'm cast beneath her spell 

Daylight comes our heaven turns to hell 

Am I left to burn and burn eternally 

She's a mystery to me 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

She's a mystery girl 

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

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

You just can't make this stuff up ...

A relative of White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by ICE agents, and was described as a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" for overstaying her tourist visa; Der Furor's chief representative in Ukraine war peace talks last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should pitch his position to Der Furor; a Georgia prosecutor has dropped the 2020 election-interference case against Der Furor, all but ending efforts to hold him criminally responsible for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election; a massive fire in a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong has left at least 36 persons dead and as many as 279 still missing; and in the English town of Sittingbourne, a bar could have its license suspended after complaints about excessive noise and “irresponsible bottomless brunches.” Don't ask.

I'm so far behind on sorting my new cartoons that I may never catch up, so I may as well stick with my old standby, random cartoons ... 

It's a valid question ...

She's just a bit more obvious about it than most ...

This looks about right ...

If you live with dogs, you understand ...

It probably helps with that vow of silence ...

History in a nutshell. Emphasis on the nuts ...

Nothing to see here, folks, move on  ...

With an administration so focused on mediocrity that it willfully eliminates the Department of Education, this is probably where we're going ...

I think I probably have that from time to time ...

We have the same health insurance ...

Have a good day and a great weekend. Go and run a few miles to work off the Thanksgiving dinner, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday - more thoughts then.

Bilbo

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2025

It's always a challenge to scoop the largest floating chunks from the swirling cesspool of ass clownery for purposes of presenting this award. Sometimes, the winner is obvious, but most of the time the selection is difficult, and sometimes it's nearly impossible. Lately, it seems as if the event horizon of the socio/political/religious black hole of lunacy threatens to suck me into the Zone of Virtual Selection Impossibility. But the choice still needs to be made, and I'm going to step up to the challenge

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, we raise the tattered curtain and shine the flickering spotlight of shame upon

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2025

to

Der Furor's Governmental Clown Car

Der Furor once grandly claimed that he would appoint only the "best" people to positions in his administration, and that the nation would "win" so much that we'd be tired of winning. It hasn't worked out that way, as Der Furor and his chosen advisors have appointed dozens, if not hundreds, of individuals so staggeringly incompetent and unfit for their positions that describing this administration as a clown car is an insult to clowns. And cars. Here are but a few recent examples:

A judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience hand-picked by Der Furor to run his revenge prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, was illegally appointed and that the prosecutions were thus invalid. 

The administration proudly announced a 28-point "peace plan" to end Russia's war in Ukraine that was so obviously weighted in favor of Russia that it was widely denounced even by Congressional Republicans, and administration officials fell over themselves backpedaling to describe it as a "starting point" for negotiations. 

Following a video prepared by five members of Congress (all veterans) and former intelligence professionals reminding military personnel that they are not obligated to follow illegal orders, Der Furor accused them of treason ("punishable by DEATH," per his social media post) and called for them to be hanged, saying that any order given by the president is - de facto - legal. The Defense Department announced that Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona would be investigated for interfering with the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces” by participating in the video.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., blithely ignoring decades of science showing vaccines to be safe while showing that he openly lied to Senator Bill Cassidy during his confirmation hearing, personally instructed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a draft memo to Congress, announced plans for the military to sever hundred-year history of ties with Scouting America, because the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy, has become an organization designed to "attack boy-friendly spaces," and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion.

Ignoring the advice of senior military lawyers concerned that such attacks are illegal, the administration continues to attack small boats in the Western Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, claiming - without evidence - that they are manned by terrorists transporting drugs to the United States. Since September 6th, at least 21 boats have been attacked and sunk and 83 persons killed; a further two victims were rescued and repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador rather than being tried in a US court ... which would have required presentation of actual evidence of their committing a crime. 

What's left of the Department of Education has proposed excluding a wide range of college degree programs - including nursing, education, social work, public health, physician assistant, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, speech-language pathology, and counseling and therapy - from the definition of "professional degrees," specifically in relation to their eligibility for student loans.

The East Wing of the White House has been razed - apparently with no coordination with the affected historical preservation organizations - to make way for a Versailles-style grand ballroom ... for which no firm plans seem to exist.

 

The Oval Office has been garishly decorated with tacky gold embellishments that has turned it from a place of subtle power and authority to the inner sanctum of the madam of a cheap whorehouse.

I could go on, but it's just too depressing.

As political commentator Rick Wilson noted of administration actions in another context,

“This wasn't a dumpster fire. It was a dumpster fire on top of Burning Tire Mountain during an eruption of Mount Shitshow.” 

And as legal journalist Ben Wittes described Der Furor's first administration (and even more true now),

"Malevolence tempered by incompetence."

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Left-Cheek Ass Clown Award for November, 2025, is presented to the Clown Car that has replaced legal, ethical, and moral governance in the United States. The damage will take decades to repair, if it can be repaired at all.

And one must wonder that so many Americans are okay with all this.

Have a good day. Demand better from your government, but expect less. As Jerry Reed said at the end of his classic song "The Crude Oil Blues," "he who expected nothin' ain't gonna be deceived."

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Thanksgiving, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been writing this blog since 2006, and some of you have been reading it almost since the beginning. You've learned many things about me over the years, one of which is that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In a crazy world in which we too often focus on fear, negativity, and the material things in life, it's good to have a day on which to sit back and reflect on the things for which we can be truly thankful.

We’re living in a scary time in which it’s easy to be distracted from things for which we can be thankful, because there is so much going on that is awful, and so many people who keep working hard to keep it awful. For me, this year the awful things included:

The knowledge that many of my fellow Americans support a president who is a corrupt and self-centered liar, grifter, convicted felon and sexual abuser who proudly and deliberately tramples on every norm of human decency and honor in a relentless pursuit of wealth, power, and revenge;

A Congress more interested in keeping problems alive so they can be weaponized against opponents than in actually solving them;

The sad reality that many Americans cheerfully accept frequent mass murder - even of  children - as an acceptable price to pay for their beloved, unrestricted "right to keep and bear arms;" 

The return of diseases we thought long conquered, largely because ignorant fools believe weird conspiracy theories and conflate the responsibility for public health with Government overreach and unacceptable limits on their personal freedoms;

A flawed legal system in which the availability, affordability, and equality of justice depends on one’s skin color, political connections, ability to manipulate the system to their advantage, and ability to pay astronomical legal fees; and,

The reality of a changing climate that is denied by those who steadfastly refuse to see the obvious truth around them.

That all sounds pretty bad, and it is, but on the whole, it’s once again been a good year for me. Although there have been some occasional negatives, I consider myself a fortunate man for a lot of reasons:

Good health, aside from the normal aches, pains, and sound effects common to advancing age. I had a second knee replaced this past summer, and through the miracles of modern medicine and my ability to afford them - as long as the GOP keeps its hands off Medicare - I'm still walking;

The patient and long-suffering love of my beautiful and endlessly talented wife;

Three loving and successful children of whom I am proud beyond words;

Six adorable, intelligent, talented, and loving grandchildren;

A large and loving extended family;

A comfortable retirement, at least as long as the GOP keeps its hands off Social Security and my modest retirement investments continue to prosper;

A roof over my head (as long as I keep up the mortgage payments);

Good friends (yes, all of you are included);

The ability to write what I wish in this space without worrying (so far, at least) about government censorship;

 

The freedom to worship (or not) as I find meaningful, free to ignore those who insist that their way is the only way and their scripture the only scripture, and that I must follow their path or suffer the consequences; and, 

The good fortune to have been born in the United States of America - a country which, for all its faults, gives me the opportunity to enjoy all of the above ... so far.

I have many things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day, and it's only proper that I should take a few minutes to acknowledge that I am, as ever, most richly blessed.

I wish all of you, Dear Readers, Friends, the very happiest, healthiest, and safest of holidays.

Have a good day. Give thanks for the good things you have and the bad things you don't. 

More thoughts tomorrow, when we name the On-Crack Ass Clown for November ... see you then.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

Thanksgiving is almost here, and we're all working hard to get ready for family gatherings and reflections on all that we have to be thankful for. Today's short poem is a simple reflection on the time of year ... 

Thanksgiving

An Old Rhyme, Author Unknown

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest all is gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain,

So open wide the doorway~

Thanksgiving comes again!

Have a good day, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and get ready for the holiday! More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

I just got back from vacation yesterday afternoon, and don't have the time and energy to do the usual news summary this week ... but why should I just depress you? Let's get right to the cartoons, this week featuring a random selection from my unsorted pile ...

I'd wondered where a lot of those weird MAGAts and conspiracy theorists came from ...

A butler can't be too careful ...

Dracula, updated ...

They have to cover a lot more techniques in medical school these days ...

I'm not quite sure that's true ...

Caption: "Nadine finally found a pediatrician that understood her." Doctor's words: "No, you don't have to vaccinate your child. If an epidemic should break out, we'll just burn a witch."

Stained glass by numbers ...

Scientist bears? ...

Ain't it the truth? ...

I feel this way about searching for movies I want to see on services I subscribe to ...

And that's it for Cartoon Saturday - I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day and a great weekend ... more thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday returns. See you then.

Bilbo