I'm Back! There's a Lot to Talk About - Pull Up a Chair

           How time flies when you're having fun.

I went on a blog break Sunday, April 19th, 2026, to build up positive vibes during a rough PTSD anniversary. Now I'm ready to join in on the fight against the current authoritarian regime being led by a lunatic smelling up the White House.

Current Questions

Is Trump going to get away with forming a slush fund for Jan. 6 rioters and other Trumpies seeking what would be taxpayer payouts for criminals? We're getting a missed message on this subject. Most Republicans are claiming the slush fund is a NO GO, but Trump is still talking about why there's a need for it.

For the record the Justice Department has cancelled plans to create a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund," according to an article in Time on June 3. I don't believe that for one moment. Just wait.

On that same day (June 3rd) Trump injected more uncertainty into whether the regime might try to revive the fund in the future. Trump told Time, "As far as I'm concerned the fund is a beautiful thing." There's currently a DOJ purge going on to vacate seditious conspiracy convictions of the Jan. 6 leaders and members of far-right groups and the DOJ removed hundreds of news releases related to the prosecutions from its website.

What is the real status of Trump's illegal war with Iran?

I'll put it this way, no one seems to know the answer. It depends on who you ask. According to Trump we won the war. The Iranian's disagree and have shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Despite a supposed cease fire, the two sides have been bombing each other nearly every day with no end in sight.

The House passed a largely symbolic war powers resolution over Republican leaders' objections that it would "weaken the president's hand" in negotiations. Even if the Senate agrees with the House, it's a waste of time and taxpayer dollars because Trump will simply veto it. Meanwhile we'll have to wait until Trump decides to wrap up the mess he started.

Meanwhile Israel and Lebanon signed up to a fresh U.S. brokered cease-fire to clear the path for negotiations toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement between the two countries. That truce didn't last six hours before both countries accused each other of violating the agreement.

As far as the U.S. vs Iran war I suggest taking out a coin and tossing it in the air while calling heads or tails.

Are Trump Loyalists Bill Pulte and Todd Blanche going to be confirmed by the Senate?

 Bill Pulte, the regimes chief housing regulator, has been appointed by Trump to temporally take over as national intelligence director after Tulsi Gabbard's departure. He has zero experience for the job. He'll keep his position as chief housing director where he has weaponized the department to go after Democrats mortgages in a fraudulent conspiracy.

If confirmed as intelligence director (and don't be surprised when Trump nominates him despite what he is saying right now) Pulte's prime mission will be to harass voters by posting his thugs in election places during the midterms. He easily ranks as one of the most corrupt lackeys under Trump's tiny pinkies. I suspect his confirmation will be chaotic and there's a chance he won't get the position. We'll see soon enough.

Todd Blanche has been kissing Trump's ass since he was his lawyer in criminal cases before getting reelected. He's been the leading Trump loyalist suppressing the Epstein files. He's lied under oath. He's currently serving as a go-between Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's co-conspirator and Trump. She was transferred to the Club Med of prisons and is getting favors none of the other prisoners are getting.

If this isn't an obvious sign of collusion, I don't know what else it could be. Trump's minions in the Senate will probably prevail in confirming him regardless of his corrupt dealings.

As it Stands, I want to thank all the readers who checked in and read my past posts with regularity while I was away. Peace out!

Remember When: Dec. 16, 2021 - As the Coup Spreads: House Freedom Caucus Plans to Infect State Legislators

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

They're coming.

And they're crazy.

The House Freedom Caucus is coming to a state or city near you soon.

Its membership is devoted to Trump and overthrowing our republic.

The House hate group was launched in 2015 because some of the craziest Republican members didn't think the party was conservative enough. You won't find their definition of conservative in any dictionary, however.

Simply put, the new conservative's rhetoric and tactics has been cemented in the last five years under Trump's direction.

Currently Mark Meadows - Trump's former chief of staff and one of the original assholes to form the caucus, is busy helping the group to expand into state legislatures.

Meadow's efforts come amid his battle with Congress over his active role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a D.C.-based nonprofit founded by former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., whose leaders include Meadows and attorney Cleta Mitchell — who aided Trump's failed legal efforts to overturn the election — is funding the group's expansion to Georgia, where seven Republican state lawmakers announced their launch on Tuesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

This effort in Georgia is just the tip of the iceberg. 

CPI announced in a press release that it will launch the "State Freedom Caucus Network" across the country and provide each state freedom caucus "with the tools and resources they need to mirror the success of the House Freedom caucus."

It's just another scary chapter of "As the coup spreads" in America's ongoing battle to preserve freedom.

As it Stands, as history shows us the so-called Freedom Caucus was the first step toward paving a way for Trump's reelection with lies and misinformation.

Remember When: Dec. 28, 2021 - Unfinished Business: Report Exposes Connection Between Trump Organization and Russian Alpha Bank

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

As the year grinds to an uneasy end, the ghost of Mueller's investigation in 2016 has emerged with bad news for Trump.

If you recall, in Trump's desperate waning days of office, he directed AG Barr to conduct one last fraudulent investigation by appointing John Durham to discredit intelligence agencies who were looking into the Trump Organization's ties with Alpha Bank, a major Russian bank with ties to Putin.

Durham came up with a bullshit story about a cybersecurity Teck expert who turned over information to the DOJ regarding the suspicious relationship of the two entities that was false. He charged the expert for spreading lies, and the case was forwarded to the courts.

That's not the end of the story, however.

You see AG Garland discovered Durham's scheme after investigating it further and put out a memo stating it was a legitimate investigation and needed to be pursued.

Ignoring the memo Durham churned up a 26- page report afterward featuring a fraudulent version of what Garland reported and released it to the press in October.

The defense team for the cybersecurity lawyer who was indicted in September by Durham asked a judge last week to set a trial date sooner than the prosecutor wants - while disclosing evidence recently turned over to them that contradicts the charge.

The newly disclosed evidence consists of records of two Justice Department interviews of the former F.B.I. official whom Mr. Sussmann (the cybersecurity lawyer) is accused of lying, each of which offers a different version of the key interaction than the version Durham came up with. That official is the prosecution's main witness.

The defense team for Sussmann have accused Durham of putting forward a misleading portray in his indictment by selectively excerpting fragments of their clients' emails, omitting portions that showed their clients enthusiastically supported the final analysis.

Sound familiar? It should. It's the same tactic AG Barr used when "releasing" Mueller's Russia Investigation results.

So, what did this bogus last shot by Trump cost taxpayers? Are you ready for this?

Durham's sham investigation into the Russia probe cost $3.8 million (so far). He spent $2,8 million on travel, salaries, benefits, IT services and litigative support from October 2020 through September 2021.

After the court settles the case - likely against Durham - the question remains. What is Garland going to do with this damning evidence of Trump's collusion with Russia?

As it Stands, Garland turned out to be a big disappointment and didn't pursue this case - and other criminal charges - until it was too late.

Remember When: Dec. 29, 2021 - Just What Does 'Normal' Mean Anyway?

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

I was talking with some friends and family the other day about normality.

The conversations went something like this.

"Remember when mass shootings weren't the norm?" 

"Nothing is normal anymore."

"Who can recall when it was normal for civilians to walk around without military flak jackets and assault weapons in public?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

What does normal mean?

According to Merriam-Webster the definition is: 

(As an adjective)

1. - Conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern

2. - Occurring naturally

3. - approximating the statistical average or norm

Normal as a Noun

1. - a form or state regarded as the norm: standard

2. - one that is normal

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've come to the conclusion that normal is a myth that we create that makes us feel safe or good about things we grew up with. 

Have you ever noticed how normal is often referenced to something in the past? 

Today normal is abnormal. We see and hear people every day who live in an alternative universe where Trump is still their president.

Normalcy is a mystery among scholars and scientists. 

Quote

Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

- Ellen Goodman

Quote

Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from.

- Jodie Foster

Quote

Maybe your weird is my normal. Who's to say?

- Nicki Minaj

As it Stands, I don't believe in normalcy - it's a social construct made up to keep people in line.

Remember When: Dec. 22, 2020 - People are Getting Numb as the Grim Reaper Walks Among Us

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

I saw it in Vietnam.

People who treated thousands of deaths like an ordinary occurrence, reducing all the pain and suffering into a military data bank to study.

Now, in the face of the biggest mass casualty event in American history, COVID-19 stalks the streets, yet many people ignore the virulent virus and try to go on like nothing is happening.

Despite warnings from the CDC, people are still making holiday plans, ignoring face masks, or debating how seriously to take the virus, or whether it's all a hoax.

How to explain this? 

I just don't get it. 

Psychologists who have studied genocides and mass disasters claim something happens to the brain when fatalities reach high numbers.

What happens, according to experts, is that the deaths have been hidden from sight, even from family and friends. 

The causalities become a mountain of corpses and people find it hard to focus on individual bodies.

As we track the virus's progress in daily bar graphs people begin to dehumanize the victims in apparent apathy.

Another explanation for ignoring the Grim Reaper; instead of a single discrete event - like the twin towers collapsing on Sept. 11, 2001, the pandemic has unfolded as an invisible, slow creeping, chronic hazard.

Over time, our brains gradually tune out the danger. 

This is a time when empathy is crucial to helping others cope with the challenges from COVID-19 and a crippled economy. 

All Americans have a duty to recognize science if they want to save our society, our friends, and family. Let's not pave the way for the Grim Reaper any longer.

As it Stands, I still remember all the people who ignored vaccines and face masks who died because of their ignorance. It was a sad chapter in American history.

Remember When: Dec. 27, 2020 - Now is Not the Time to T-P Houses

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

Public Service Announcement:

"Due to the cost and scarcity of toilet paper T-Ping trees in peoples yards is illegal for the foreseeable future."

Of all the challenges that this pandemic has poised, the weirdest has to be our obsession with having enough toilet paper.

Store shelves have been devoid of toilet paper off and on since March. Every now and then there's a sudden panic (like during the current surge), and retailers like Costco and Walmart have to limit purchases to one package per customer.

The burning question is why TOILET PAPER?

I can see why Lysol and other cleaning products are highly desirable... but toilet paper?

According to experts who study weird shit like this, toilet paper has become a symbol of safety and preparedness during the pandemic.

Cases of hoarding toilet paper have been reported throughout the country since March. 

At one point early on, toilet paper was so hard to get (when retailers were caught off guard without enough supplies) it was selling on the black market for $ $3.50 a roll.

One crazy incident that comes to mind (in April) happened in a Costco in Seattle, as employees were unloading a pallet of toilet paper. It was as if the neat stacks of white rolls were hit by a swarm of piranhas! 

Enough!

What's the matter with people? Everyone just needs to take a deep breath. I assure you there's more important items to hoard than toilet paper - take any food for instance.

Look at it this way; people have managed to wipe their bums for thousands of years - without a roll of toilet paper.

As it Stands, looking back at 2020 it sounds crazy that toilet paper was such a desired thing while thousands of Americans were dying daily.

Remember When: Nov. 28, 2020 - Looking Forward: 'For Everything There is a Season...'

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining. 

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

During this season of COVID in America and the rest of the world, death is at every doorstep as the virus surges out of control.

Mental coping skills have never been more important than now. Depression is widespread amidst the countless challenges we all face. 

At times, I feel like my mental process is bogged down in a thick mud of misery that clings to my thoughts like blood-sucking leeches.

I'm watching my father fade away although he's alive and breathing. Dementia has robbed him of a once sharp mind. He barely recognizes my sister, and I.

His mind is caught in a life loop where his long-deceased relatives and friend's dwell. The conversations in his head manifest into words that blurt out of his mouth like vignettes from his past.

His condition is worsening as he doesn't remember to eat or take care of himself. We've had to get outside help and now are facing putting him in a nursing home during this season of COVID. It may very well be the last time I see my father alive, because of COVID-19 restrictions.

It's breaking my heart. There is no good ending to this personal story. 

But I know that I'm not alone in my grief and sorrow. Millions of Americans are experiencing untimely deaths caused by the coronavirus.

Millions of families are faced with similar situations like mine. We're all together in this season of COVID... but it will pass with vaccines and time.

And when the new season comes there'll be healing, physically, and mentally. The human race will survive and eventually thrive.

Until that blessed season arrives, we must give ourselves the gift of hope, and a positive mind-set to move forward... one day at a time.

As it Stands, a lot has happened since this post. My Dad passed away and the country recovered from the COVID pandemic.

Remember When: Dec. 29, 2012 - Why Some Older Men Get the 'Grumpy Old Man Complex'

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

When I turned 60 a couple of years ago, nothing earthshaking happened. 

I did not suddenly become a grouchy old man. I didn’t instantly morph into Archie Bunker. And let me also add that the following article about grumpy old men is malarkey (thanks Joe Biden)!

Talk about a bad rap. My wife actually says I’m nicer now, and less likely to lose my temper than ever before. She tells me I’m aging like a good wine (not whiner) and that the silver in my hair looks distinguished. So, before seizing on the stereotype the author has projected, consider there’s no empirical research out on grumpy men when they hit 60.

The doctor in the article can go on all day about low testosterone, but I don’t think he’s looking at the whole picture. Men can get cranky about a lot of things, at any age. So, I bid you consider this when you read the following: 

The look: A scowling face, a wagging finger, and a shaking head. The targets: The economy. Teenagers. Windmills (if your like Trump).

Some informally dub it “grumpy old man complex.” British author Carol Wyer labels it “irritable male syndrome,” a spike in the outward crankiness of guys of a certain age.

As more baby boomers hit 60 — the age when male grumpiness seems to kick in according to Wyer — be ready for a growing chorus of grouchy old men like Donald Trump whose always ready to explode.

The condition isn’t just a stereotype represented by the proverbial fist-waving shout, "Get off my lawn!" Testosterone levels generally fall as men age, according to the Mayo Clinic. Such hormone drops are known to dampen male moods, says Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, head of the International Society of Men’s Health and a urologist in New York City.

“Testosterone is a hormone that grows muscles, reduces fat in the body, affects energy, and improves sexual desire,” Shabsigh says. “However, it also has neural-psycho effects. And in some men, we encounter in our practice, those affects can be mostly visible: low mood and irritability."

Grumpiness is even used as a mood description in screening questionnaires for low testosterone. One form many U.S. patients are asked to fill out is a test for Androgen Deficiency in Aging Men (ADAM). Androgen is the family of hormones that controls the development of masculine traits. Question No. 6 on that form reads: “Are you sad and/or grumpy?”

“Patients with low testosterone tell me they feel less capable of concentration. And they feel less capable of tolerating the nuances of everyday life – from family, friends, colleagues and customers,” Shabsigh said. “Whatever you do, you have people around you, and you get irritated sometimes. The ability to tolerate or deal with it is reduced when the testosterone is low.”

In healthy men, testosterone levels remain within normal limits until about age 60, with a gradual decline after that, studies indicate. According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, up to 30 percent of men beyond the age of 75 have low testosterone levels. The question of whether to treat such cases of low testosterone “remains a matter of debate,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

It's not always hormones or other physical health issues, though. Men aren’t as likely to share worries or concerns about aging which can leave a guy prone to flailing outbursts into the ether. Older-guy grumpiness can also be traced to major life changes like retirement that come with advancing years, Carol Wyer explained.

“Women have friends and we talk about our problems, and we take medication and all that kind of stuff. But for men, it’s something they suppress. It’s a male thing,” says Wyer, author of the upcoming humor book “How Not to Murder Your Grumpy."

As it Stands, I'm 75 now and I'm here to tell you that I'm still NOT a grumpy old man! Take that to the bank.

Remember When? Dec. 21, 2011 - Moms Turn to Phone-Sex to Supplement income, Support Families During Hard Economic Times

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

An increasing number of cash-strapped mothers are taking jobs as phone-sex operators, finding that talking dirty to strangers is an easy way to support their families.

The number of mothers with young children who have become telephone temptresses over the last 18 months has shot up about 400%, reports ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The data comes from ratracerebellion.com, a website dedicated to helping mothers find jobs that allow them to work from home.

Chris Durst, who runs the online organization, has been tracking the working habits of mothers for more than a decade.

She says the number of women who search for phone-sex work generally spikes after Labor Day, as their children return to school. 

But in the past two years, the level of interest in phone-sex employment has been extraordinary — and Durst blames it on the economy.

As it Stands, by 2011 standards phone sex was considered really nasty. Compare it to the digital sex that's now available online and you can see how far the sex industry has come (pun intended).  

Remember When: Dec. 19, 2010 - Is Assange a Robin Hood Trying to Take the High Road by Thievery?

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange opened the 21st century version of Pandora's Box. He spread illegally obtained raw classified information on his website for the world to view. As a result, the journalism world may never be the same again.

WikiLeaks has exposed secrets about corruption in governments and corporations; embarrassing stuff that makes a good read, and some humanitarian issues that call for action.

So, who is this crusader for justice, this Robin Hood who leads his merry band of hackers and other followers on behalf of humanity? Should we trust the motives of this convicted computer hacker and alleged sex offender? If so, why? Because he's been the darling of hackers, anarchists, and international journalists since 2007, when he started WikiLeaks?

Assange recently turned himself in to British authorities and is currently out on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden for questioning about sexual misconduct with two Swedish women. Hardly a ringing endorsement for his character.

The question is, “How much good and bad has come of releasing those secret documents?” Assange claims he's a champion for truth. Whose truth would that be?

I question why he didn't hide the identities of Afghan informants in his revelation revolution. The Taliban picked right up on their names and promised to “punish them.” Make that murder them. Collateral damage? OK. At what point do these lives start counting?

Still, Assange has supporters. Recently, a loose-knit group of hackers who gather on the website 4Chan.org under the name Anonymous called for cyber-attacks against those who worked against him. They successfully attacked Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, the Swiss bank Post Finance, the Swedish government website and others who criticized or tried to shut down WikiLeaks.

These cyber-attacks were called “Operation Payback” and “Operation Avenge Assange.” So far, the damage has been temporary. Innocent consumers have suffered financially from these retaliatory actions. More collateral damage.

Which leads me to wonder, what's next if the British send Assange to Sweden and he's convicted of a crime? How will international hackers respond to that? After all, he's one of their own and used to go by the nickname “Mendax” -- a classical Latin word for “liar.”

He and two other hackers called themselves the “International Subversives” and regularly broke into the computer systems of some of America's most sensitive government installations, including nuclear weapon labs, before forming WikiLeaks. He's never made a secret of his hatred for the United States.

This is where it gets scary. Unknown, unorganized hackers have flexed their digital muscles in the name of Assange. Authorities can expect more trouble if things go bad for him. His followers threaten governments and corporations with impunity.

It's hard for me to believe that a so-called whistleblower organization involved in international espionage may change journalism for the better. 

In a recent MSNBC interview, Stephen I. Vladeck, a law professor at American University, said, “It's quite clear that the Espionage Act applies on its face regardless of whether the individual who is distributing classified information is the initial thief or an intermediary.”

That initial thief, Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, is no hero. He's been arrested and charged with the unauthorized use and disclosure of U.S. classified information. Spreading that information on WikiLeaks makes Assange a co-conspirator in the theft.

I'm having a hard time joining some of my peers who still support Assange. Someone who provides a website for the dissemination of raw data is not an editor or reporter in my book. Even calling him a whistleblower is misleading, because he's pursuing a personal agenda against the United States.

According to numerous media reports, Assange is leading a troubled life. His wife and child left him. He lost his main supporter and confidant, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who is launching a rival website called “Open Links” which promises to be more transparent than WikiLeaks.

Is WikiLeaks a real journalistic organization devoted to truth and the betterment of mankind? Is Assange a modern-day Robin Hood stealing information for the masses? Or is WikiLeaks just a gathering of computer hackers, self-avowed humanitarians and assorted disgruntled individuals all pursuing personal agendas against the established governments of the world?

As It Stands, before people try to make Assange a legend, it might be a better idea to see how his story plays out.

Remember When: Dec. 28, 2019 - Trump Appointed Judges: Where Justice Goes to Die

Editor's Note: While I'm on break, I'm recycling past posts that I hope you find enlightening and entertaining.

The most devastating effect Trump has on our society is the appointment of numerous right-wing judges across the country. 
Because of Trump's collusion with The Federalist Society, only extremist judges are getting approved in record numbers.

Trump's judicial appointees are not selected because they are unbiased or nonpartisan or fair-minded. They are chosen because of their loyalty to the Federalist Society and Trump himself.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has devoted the last three years to appointing Trump-judges while letting all bills from Congress (over 400 this year) fester in his partisan graveyard.

A warning sign for what to expect in the future can be seen with what's happened to the 5th District Court; it's been stacked with right-wing judges during the last three years. Now it's a court where justice goes to die.

The future portends more extreme decisions that will drag other courts to the far right. Trump has already flipped the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th Circuits by creating a majority of Republican appointees loyal to him.

This year the conservative majority of judges went on a rampage. This month, the courts ruled that Obamacare's individual mandate has become unconstitutional in an overtly partisan decision and suggested that the rest of the law may have to fall, as well.

Trump has managed to neutralize moderate conservatives. With the waning influence of balanced courts Americans are facing a dark future for personal freedoms.

Roe vs Wade (Jan.22, 1973) has been threatened before in 1992. Based upon the current rapidly slanted changing judiciary, 2020 may see the biggest challenge of all for the controversial law.

Even if we do get a Democratic president and Senate in 2020, the damage Trump and McConnell have done to the judicial system is going to be there for years. In some cases, even a generation.

As it Stands, as history shows Roe vs Wade was later overturned by the Supreme Court thanks to Trump's appointments and McConnell's obstruction.