The Good News: US Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon - The Bad News: Fox News and House GOP Members Spew Conspiracy Theory Over Incident

This story isn't hard to follow, but the Republican reaction to it is baffling.

China sent a spy balloon over the United States and got caught. The Pentagon and President Biden decided not to shoot it down as it hovered over Montana.

The reason was to protect Americans from falling debris. The Pentagon explained that the potential for debris on civilians on the ground or property damage was too high.

So, while the spy balloon hovered over the northern part of the country our security agencies blocked signals and other transmissions, reducing it to a piece of floating stratospheric junk.

When the balloon moved east towards the Atlantic Coast our Airforce tracked it until it was over the ocean and then shot it down. 

The Biden administration handled the tense situation well. We're not at war, are we? And no Americans had to die from a knee-jerk response.

Meanwhile in MAGA World

The whole story is being polluted with toxic lies and ridiculous conspiracy theories.

From the channel where truth goes to die, Fox News co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy told her cohorts she knows why China sent a spy balloon, and why President Joe Biden wouldn't shoot it down.

It was because of Hunter Biden's laptop, she claimed, adding it was a trial balloon testing Joe Biden to see how much control they have by threatening him with secret information on Hunter's laptop. That's why this administration hasn't shot it down yet, she brayed like a jackass.

Instead of recognizing that the whole affair was handled with caution Fox News hosts were talking like this was the most humiliating thing to ever happen to the US.

Later in the day US jets shot down the spy balloon the moment it went over the ocean on the East coast. 

It went down in 47-foot waters and is currently being retrieved. Intelligence agencies are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of what they discover about Chinese technology.

Despite that, MAGA boy toys Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton called for an investigation into the action, suggesting there was skullduggery afoot with the Biden administration.

Here's something those idiots should consider before trying to make it a partisan attack: There were three spy balloons that went across the country during the Trump administration, and they hid the fact from the public. 

There were no attempts to shoot them down.

As it stands, I find it particularly disgusting that so many GOP lawmakers and activists are trying to make political hay about a bad situation that ended so well.

Home-Schooling Children in Neo-Nazi Ideology is Happening in Ohio

It's hard to believe that children in America are being raised like good little Nazis, but it's true. 

Ohio recently made the national news when an Upper Sandusky couple was reported for distributing neo-Nazi educational material to parents who home-school their children.

The couple used a Telegram messenger channel called Dissident Homeschool that was full of racist slurs, praise for Adolph Hitler and criticism of modern public-school curriculums, according to HuffPost and Vice yesterday.

Both sources reported that there are 2,400 current members in the Dissident Homeschool program.

Parents and children in the Nazi-loving network are greeted daily with the words" As Adolf Hitler wrote..."

This network of hate was formed by a couple in Ohio during October of 2021. They openly espoused Nazi ideology and promoted white supremacy, while proudly discouraging parents from letting their children play with or have any contact with people of any other race.

The couple who started this vile network were going by false names - Mr. and Mrs. Saxon - until researchers unmasked them as Logan and Katja Lawrence who live in Upper Sandusky, Ohio with their four young children.

In a neo-Nazi podcast Achtung! Amerikaner last year Katja explained why she wanted to educate her children at home.

"We have children's best interest at heart, and nobody can do a better job than we can because it's our child. We are deeply invested into making sure that that child becomes a wonderful Nazi," she gushed.

I can't help wondering how many other home-schooling groups that spew Nazi propaganda are popping up (or already established) in other parts of the country.

The Justice Department and the FBI have been warning lawmakers that white supremacists are the number one domestic terror group in America for years.

Because we have insurrectionists, racists, and traitors among the GOP lawmakers in Congress white supremacists are shielded in society, confident they can spread their hateful messages with impunity.  

As it stands, until the majority of Americans vote out these despisers of democracy, we are going to continue to see fascism grow in our country.

Hunter Biden Finally Pushes Back Against GOP Right-Wingers After Years of Lies About Him

After six years of harassment from right-wing operatives and lawmaker's private citizen Hunter Biden is striking back.

His attorneys asked state and federal agencies to investigate the continuous and unwarranted attacks against him since Trump first came into office.

Hunters' lawyers sent letters to the Delaware attorney general, the Justice Department's National Security Division and the IRA.

His attorneys stated that a computer repair shop owner John Paul Mac Isaac's weaponized Biden's private and personal files on a laptop he left him for repair.

In the letter to the Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Hunter's lawyers stated that Mac Isaac used unauthorized access to his laptop and distributing its contents to the New York Post for a story published two weeks before the 2020 election.

In addition, the lawyers sent a cease-and desist letter to Fox News and the network's host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, calling for the retraction of a story broadcast on Carlson's show that was full of outright lies about Hunter.

For reasons not entirely clear, Hunter gathered together a team of lawyers who are launching investigations that involve Mac Isaac, Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, Garret Ziegler, and Robert Costello accusing them of exploiting private and personal information and manipulating it for political reasons.

It's anyone's guess what motivated Hunter to take this proactive defense at this time. Both parties can come up with reasons why he suddenly shifted his strategy to go on the attack. No one knows for sure.

To be clear, Hunter Biden has been under a federal ongoing investigation into his taxes and other issues.

One of the big political claims in the GOPs agenda is supposedly protecting private citizens from hackers and government agencies seeking information they're not entitled to.

Apparently, Hunter Biden doesn't qualify as a private citizen because he's the son of a president. That's pure bullshit dredged out of the swamp of GOP lawmakers in Congress.

As it stands, it's about time Hunter stood up and defended himself after all of these years and assaults from extreme-right Republicans.

Every Day is Groundhog Day in the Republican Party

Remember when Groundhog Day was just a tradition of having an animal predict if it was going to be a long winter or a short one?

Today is Groundhog Day.

While good turnouts continue for the century-old event, there's another Groundhog Day in our culture that lasts year-around.

The Republican Party is stuck in an endless cycle of lies and misinformation every day.

While the rest of the world moves on, the far-right fringe in the House and beyond are locked into the same political playbook that's lost them the last few elections.

The Republican National Party just re-elected the same leader and announced its two major agenda items yesterday.

1. Double down on the Big Lie and supposed voter fraud that happened in 2020 with bogus investigations in an effort to drag facts through their foul swamp.

2. Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden. The years long attacks against the president's son will now go on steroids as election deniers in the House committees go after their favorite boogeyman.

That's all folks!

The GOP agenda to pursue revenge against political opponents is the official platform of the MAGA wing in the House.

Sure, you may hear an occasional comment about fixing the immigration crisis but it's secondary to their other grievances that seek to destabilize the government and counting coup among Democratic lawmakers.

As it stands, the fact that the GOP is willing to lock itself into a daily routine of attacks against our laws and government makes it a daily Groundhog Day from hell.

Who's Stalking Zoos and Stealing/Killing Their Animals?

For some odd reason monkeys have become a prime target for thieves who have broken into two zoos recently.

Zoosiana, a zoo in Broussard, Louisiana, reported that the Squirrel Monkey exhibit was broken into overnight and 12 monkeys were stolen.

A footnote here: there is a rumor that the monkeys were taken to MAGA headquarters because they have a higher IQ than most of the members and could help Trump get re-elected.

But I digress.  

The zoo confirmed that no other animals were taken by the thief(s) and said that an investigation is ongoing as they work with local, state and federal agencies to locate the missing monkeys.

The story gets stranger.

There have been multiple reports recently of missing and dead animals at the Dallas Zoo.

Dallas police reported that two emperor tamarin monkeys were "intentionally taken" from the Dallas Zoo today.

In this case Dallas police at least have a suspect.

Kinda.

The department tweeted a photo of a man it said police were "looking to speak with" about the missing animals.

Wednesday Breaking News: Monkeys found

This recent disappearance follows other bizarre incidents involving the disappearance or deaths of animals at the Dallas Zoo.

Last week, an investigation was launched into the "suspicious" death of a vulture named Pin that was found dead in an enclosure under "unusual circumstances" the police told reporters.

A footnote here, a note was found pinned on Pin that read, "This is what snitches get!" signed DJT.

Moving on.

The Pin investigation came just over a week after a clouded leopard named Nova was intentionally let out of her habitat on Jan. 13th.

A footnote here, just got word that freshman congressman George Santos said that he climbed the tree and wrestled the big cat until it was too tired to resist whereupon he carefully lowered it to the ground to the grateful zoo officials.

Actually.

Investigators said Nova escaped through a cut-out hole forcing the zoo to close and prompting an hours-long search. Luckily for all involved Nova was found sleeping in a tree later that evening. They have no idea what maroon let Nova escape.

As it stands, I think zoos across the country should do a better job of protecting their valuable charges. 

Right and Left Media Platforms Play Up the Debt Ceiling as a Looming Armagedón

I can tell you what I don't do every morning while drinking my first cup of coffee and scanning newspaper headlines - I don't check on how big our national debt is.

My priority news list does not include reading articles on balancing the budget. I'm not a bean counter, nor will I ever be. The corrupt world of high finance is just not everyone's cup of tea.

You know what? I think there's millions of Americans who don't give a rat's ass about balancing the budget - unless of course the clowns in Congress blow it and stop all paychecks for millions of Americans.

Then there will be hell to pay.

My point is there's so many other concerns the average American has, like the rising prices of gas and food that balancing a national budget isn't the first thing they think of upon awakening.

Unless their watching the news lately which is literally saturating cable and the internet with doom and gloom scenarios designed to keep an audience in a captive thrall.

I blame all media platforms for this game of terrifying Americans when it's not necessary. For starters, there's months before a deal has to be struck before a default.

What are the odds of a default this time? I'd say scant based upon history. The last time the government shut down was Trump's fault for holding out to get money for his much bragged about wall. 

It happened in 2018.

The difficulties facing government employees forced to work without pay during that shutdown didn't go away when Trump reopened the government for three weeks on Friday January 28, 2019.

Despite the interruption of pay for all government employees they stayed on the job. It's notable that veterans and retirees pay have never been affected by a shut down. Services, yes. Not paychecks.

Historically there's been 10 shutdowns dating back to 1980. The longest - 35 days - was the one under Trump.

The current blanket media coverage on the possibility of a shutdown has been so played up that millions of Americans are needlessly worrying about a nationwide financial collapse.

The press in all of its many forms has been sensationalizing the oncoming debt deadline because fearmongering sells. 

I understand there's a slim GOP majority in the House who want to burn everything down. That is cause for concern but not worth losing sleep over.

Even the Republicans know it would be political suicide. All except the minority MAGA fringe element who are only there for performance art purposes.

As it stands, there's a lot more things to be more concerned about in our society than a squabble over money in congress.

Why Do NBA Refs Hate LeBron James...and The Lakers?

What is going on with NBA refs this year?

It's been a banner season for missed calls throughout the league. But when it comes to the Lakers it almost feels personal the way they've cheated them in (at least) four games this season during the last play of the game by not making calls on obvious fouls.

Yesterday's game with Boston (in Bean Town) is just the latest example of a blatantly bad no call. 

It cost the Lakers the game. Full stop. Re-runs of the play when LeBron was hacked on the arm while going in for a layup have gone viral on the internet today. It's also happened twice before with LeBron being hacked (or grabbed) during a crucial last second shot with the same result.

One of my favorite YouTube channels Laker Nation, hosted by Trevor Lane, covered the game. Trevor asked, at one point, what LeBron had done to piss off the refs? Did he go around in the off season to their houses and call their mothers bad names? he wondered.

For good reason. No other team in the entire league has faced so many games on the line bad calls this season.

The league is looking into what happened.

Wink! Wink!

The last three times {games} a similar Laker play was re-examined proved they were robbed. League officials said, sorry about that it was wrong, but there's nothing we can do.

Wrong.

There is something the league could do to avoid letting refs screw up in a game-on-the-line situation.

Simply put in a mandatory end of the game replay system during the last two minutes where any controversial play that comes up can be overturned by officials upon review.

With the new two-minute rule the refs can be challenged for not making a call when an obvious foul unfolds in front of them.

The way things are right now each team gets one challenge per game if they think the refs blew a call. If they use that challenge - even successfully - they don't get another one. They just get to keep their time out.

Full disclosure: I've been a Laker fan since they moved to Los Angeles. So, if this post sounds a bit biased...it probably is.

As it stands, if not for lousy refs the Lakers would be an over .500 team right now making them the 6th seed in the West... instead they're the 13th seed.

Iowa House GOP Members Should be Ashamed for Going After Food Items - like fresh meat - for SNAP Recipients

The question is how low Republicans are willing to go to deprive people of food?

For no good reason other than sheer meanness, Iowa House Republicans are proposing a bill that would place restrictions on the state's Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, limiting who qualifies for food assistance and what foods they can buy.

Over 250,000 Iowans rely on SNAP and if the new bill, House File 3 passes, it dictates what people can and cannot buy at grocery stores. And it gets worse. Other public assistance programs such as Medicaid would be targeted for cutbacks too.

It makes my blood boil to see the proposed restrictions that would affect low-income, older, and disabled Iowans. The new bill would make sure they couldn't purchase items like fresh meat, white bread, or sliced cheese.

This is America for cripes sake! Iowa is the heartland of the country, but its GOP House majority don't seem to have hearts. The 40 morons pushing the bill must get a feeling of power restricting what the needy in their state can even eat.

This heartless bill only allows people to buy 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice and 100% whole wheat pasta - no white grains allowed. 

Also, on the "Do not buy list" are baked, refried or chili beans. Instead, recipients must purchase black, red, and pinto beans. Cooking oils, spices, and salt and pepper would have to be crossed off the shopping list, along with soup, and canned vegetables and fruit.

Forget about fresh meat. Apparently needy people don't deserve it. If they want meat, it'll have to be canned tuna or salmon. Sliced, cubed, crumbled, and American cheese would also be eliminated.

If this list sounds vicious, it's because it is. I don't know how those GOP lawmakers can sleep at night. 

What's the purpose of this inhuman treatment? Is it a punishment for needing help? Is it a misguided attempt to save taxpayers money? 

No.

Believe it or not those legislators argue that the money allocated toward food security could be...are you ready for it? ...better spent on "other priorities!"

What's more important that feeding needy people? 

In case you think this bill is an outlier think again. The GOP is also targeting SNAP on a national level. They think cutting back food for 41 million Americans nationwide is a good political strategy. 

The next step in Iowa is for the vile bill to be discussed in a subcommittee. What happens next is anyone's guess.

The MAGA party is going too far in its attempts to disenfranchise the poor and create more food insecurity in the nation. I suspect voters won't forget this campaign against the needy in 2024.

As it stands, it must be embarrassing being a Republican these days when people can see they're in an un-American cult.

Conservative Clowns Shed Crocodile Tears After Newsmax is Dumped by DirecTV

Entitled conservative clowns have themselves to blame for Newsmax being dropped by the Pay-TV carrier DirecTV.

What happened is greed overcame the Newsmax leadership this week and they demanded license fees in a new deal.

The company offered to continue carrying Newsmax under the current agreement, but made it clear they weren't going to be held hostage. To be clear, it's the same agreement all the other DirecTV customers have agreed to.

That fact however is overlooked by right-wing conservative goons who have decided it's a liberal conspiracy against them. 

This is not a new issue with the snowflake conspiracy loons who have been blubbering about right-wing outlets being "deplatformed" and "demonetized" for years.

MAGA Morons to the Rescue

Because the House is now run by trolls Newsmax's bullshit complaints will be investigated as if they were valid claims. Which of course they aren't. 

For example

After dropping Newsmax DirecTV signed another right-wing channel "The First" to replace it in its lineup.

As we all know facts whither into lies in MAGA world where an alternative reality is playing itself out for the world to see.

The ringmaster for the House Committee clown show - Weaponization of the Government - James Comer pledged to fix things for Newsmax and to restore them to DirecTV's platforms.

The GOP grievance list is endless and we're sure to see a lot of frivolous investigations wasting taxpayer dollars in the next two years.

As it stands, the more I read and see what right-wingers are doing to damage our democracy and society, the more I'm convinced they're domestic terrorists. 

Stressed Out Americans Wonder What Chaos the Next Day Will Bring

                                 Okay. 

I think we can all agree that we're weary of being afraid of daily crisis's that can affect our lives negatively. We tired of the rampant polarization in the country.

Americans are fed up with the high prices of products. Especially food. 

We've survived three years of a pandemic that killed over a million Americans and continues to kill people today, although the mortality rate is lower now than it was in the prior two years.

We survived a coup attempt by a former president who couldn't admit he lost the last presidential election in 2020. But the danger to democracy still exists.

MAGA Republicans now have control of the House of Representatives. 

The insurrectionist lawmakers who went along with Trump's attempt to overthrow a legal election are now on powerful committees defending Trump's actions and attacking (with pointless investigations) the FBI and the Justice Department to create chaos in congress.

The chaos goes beyond politics as we watch mother nature batter the planet we so stupidly polluted.  

Every winter is more severe as climatologists look at earth's past and mega events like 600 miles of the Antarctic breaking away in one day. Record floods and fires are becoming the norm from coast to coast.

When it comes to the weather, I'm really tired of hearing about how unprecedented the climatic events are. 

We know the weather is getting worse every year on this weary planet, but all the nations refuse to do anything about it. It's not exactly a great moment for humanity and the payoff is extinction.

As it stands, we should be glad we don't know what the next day brings. We might not want to get up!

Albert Einstein once said, "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate: Too Many Classified Documents Found in All of the Wrong Places

Secret documents have been leaking out of government offices for so long no one knows when the problem first started.

Former lawmakers and scholars pin the problem on the government's system for labeling and tracking classified documents. 

It's broken. 

There's a consensus among lawmakers (believe it or not) that there is a "systemic failure" in keeping track of classified documents after tenures ended.

Recently revelations that Trump, Biden, and Pence all had classified documents at their homes has shaken Washington DC to the core.

One reason is the fact that the National Archives and other agencies involved in transporting documents are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of classified documents... that didn't necessarily need classifying.

"You have 50 million classification decisions each year - 90% of which are probably unnecessary. That's a lot of rules that have to be complied with every hour of the day. And someone is going to slip," Elizabeth Goitein, a national security law expert at the Brennan Center for Justice recently told reporters.

Basically after 9/11 every lawmaker in Congress wanted every bit of their correspondence to be classified. I wouldn't be surprised if some lunch menus were classified by overzealous parties.

There appears to be a common conclusion that the chain of custody was sloppy about returning classified documents.

What makes this whole mess scary is the thought of how many classified documents are ending up in a foreign enemy's procession? It's obviously a national security issue that has to be addressed immediately.

As it stands, what we have here is a failure to communicate! 

Pence Joins Document Scandal with Classified Papers in His Home

Oh my, oh my!

What a difference a day makes when it comes to the latest Washington scandal about classified documents being found in a current - and former - president and vice presidents' residences.

First came Trump, who refused to turn over the classified documents that he was hoarding over to the National Archives and the Department of Justice. His eight-month resistance resulted in possible obstruction of justice and other charges.

The next time it was President Biden who voluntarily turned over classified documents found in his residence. He's been cooperating with the DOJ and the Special Counsel's investigation since.

Then came Pence who is currently cooperating with authorities and probably embarrassed by the new revelations about what turned up in his house.

When the news broke yesterday that Pence had classified documents squirreled away in his home Democrats celebrated and Republicans headed for their basements and caves.

It was just last week ago when Pence told right-wing news outlets then he didn't have classified documents in his house and there was no good reason for anyone - especially Joe Biden - to have them.

Oops. Kinda like two weeks ago when Pence told a group of MAGA morons that Biden purposely concealed classified documents because what else could it have been?

What we know.

--This is one of the biggest shitshows in political history. Full stop. It looks like the investigations are going to go on for years.

--It's apparent that part of the blame for these missing classified documents lies with the National Archives. Their main mission is to protect those documents. So, what's going on?

If your bored and want to enter an alternative universe for a more entertaining coverage of the classified document scandals go straight to Fox News, Newsmax, or Infowars. You only thought the sky was blue. These folks will tell you differently.

Meanwhile your job is to sort through the bullshit the right-wing media is spewing by going to trusted news sources and not wasting your time with cable talking heads.

It helps to realize this is all political theatre and we're all a reluctant audience hoping democracy withstands so many challenges.

As it stands, the clock is ticking for Trump as an indictment for election interference in Georgia is "imminent" according to Georgia AG Fana Willis today.

When Candy Characters Become Controversial You Know the Clowns Have Taken Over

The latest victims in our country's cultural wars are spokescandies for M&M's.

Last Thursday Mar's, the company behind those chocolate characters said they are shelving their beloved mascots.

It's true. MAGA cultural morons have been attacking the M&M's mascots for over a year.

Between the internet and MAGA spokesman Fox News host Tucker Carlson the innocent treats became woke! Thus, the enemy of idiots decided to drag M&M's into their ongoing cultural war against America.

Mars has been redesigning their mascots as part of a mission statement to "create a world where everyone feels they belong" and that triggered MAGA morons everywhere.

In efforts to appease the jerks Mars had the green M&M lose her go-go boots and change to sneakers. The brown M&M had to change her motto to "Not bossy. Just the boss." 

When Mars introduced the new purple M&M, who is also a female, the MAGA mob lost their tiny minds. Perhaps the final straw for the cretins was when the company introduced a limited release of "all-female" packages.

When a candy mascot's shoes become polarizing there's nowhere to go but down.

All of the backlashes became too much for a candy company trying to sell its wares. Mars folded and exiled the candy mascots to "Never Never Land. 

A new (real life) spokesperson, Maya Rudolph is taking over the reins. Mars is hoping to move on from the MAGA-inspired attacks against them and conduct their business in peace.

As it stands, in another era we wouldn't have seen candies cause so much controversy across the country. It's a sad comment on how crazy Americans have gone mainstream today.

Trump Plans Campaign Rally in South Carolina: Federal and State GOP Lawmakers Don't Plan on Attending

What if Trump threw a rally and no one came?

Not likely, but something equally embarrassing is brewing for Trump's first hate rally in a conservative state. South Carolina.

According to local press reports a wide assortment of GOP officials and powerbrokers in the state declined invitations to the Trumpian event. 

The fact of the matter is most Republicans are reluctant to pick a presidential candidate so early in the game. They realize a lot of bad things could happen to Trump between now and 2024. 

Blame is also laid at Trump's feet for recent party election losses that should never have happened according to conservative pundits.

The only big time Republican lawmaker, Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, who's decided to jump aboard the endorsement train is having difficulty rounding up key Republicans to stand with him.

Sometime this week Trump will be at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina reliving his grievances while grifting whatever supporters show up in the name of his flawed presidential campaign.

Political pundits also note that two of Trump's potential rivals come from South Carolina. Sen. Tim Scott and former Gov. Nikki Haley.

Other signs show that the state party chairman Drew McKissick will not be attending. He says he had a prior date at a RNC meeting in California. Okay.

And there's Rep. Ralph Norman (SC) who is a close friend of Trump's who said he couldn't attend the rally. Heck, even Hope Walker, executive director of the state party said she may not be able to attend.

Donny's rally will still be a circus as he can count on MAGA minions to attend the show. As for MAGA lawmakers and dealmakers they have better things to do.

As it stands, I must say to their credit those Republicans realize it's time to dump Trump and put in a real contender for the presidency.

Is Trump Too 'Mainstream' for Today's GOP?

It's unthinkable. 

The godfather of political chaos, Trump, may be too mainstream for the Republican Party!

When the crazy caucus took over the House a new dynamic developed within the lairs of GOP lawmakers. Trump was rejected by a group of extreme crazies during the battle for Speaker of the House.

Top GOP loon tunes have turned their eyes away from Mar-a-Lardo and focused instead on their own core of head cases to come up with a new supreme leader for the party.

As evidence I point out Tim Miller, a onetime Republican National Chairman who recently told the press that Trump has certain weaknesses that are going to derail his 2024 campaign. 

Perhaps the most surprising flaw Trump faces is the perception that he went along with the establishment and pushed to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 and mitigation measures such as lockdowns in the early months of the pandemic.

Miller explained that Trump could get positioned as "Oh you went with the establishment, with the medical establishment, and the elites, when Ron DeSantis went in the other direction and listened to the people."

That's scary.

Who for even a moment thought the Great Grifter would become second banana (or worse) in his own cult? 

The former president who urged Americans to use hydroxychloroquine for off-label use to treat the coronavirus just isn't extreme enough for the new wave of insurrectionists now holding the House hostage.

This isn't a conversation I ever expected to see come up. The idea that there are GOP house members with that much power who are actually crazier than Trump takes a while to process.

It appears segments of Trump's cult has turned on him in search for a more extreme successor. 

As it stands, it's not good news having lunatic lawmakers searching for new lows to surpass their one-time mentor of chaos.

McCarthy Throws More Raw Meat to GOP Radicals and Makes Smoking Tabacco Great Again at the Capitol

The halls in Congress are reeking once again with the foul smell of cigarette smoke.

Reminiscent of the days of smoking in high school bathrooms and teacher lounges, House Republicans are allowing lawmakers to stink up their offices while sucking on their cancer sticks.

The new stench in the Capitol's hallways is evidence that GOP lawmakers have a majority in the House who want to turn the clock back and make tobacco great again.

Think about it. This makes the US Capitol one of the handful of places in Washington, DC, and among the few remaining office buildings in the country where smoking is allowed.

Since President Clinton signed an executive order in 1997 restricting smoking in federal buildings the cloying reek of nicotine had all but disappeared.

Smoking stinky cigars and cigarettes evokes recent memories of the old guard Republican House leadership back in the 1990s. 

Remember when the former House Speaker John Boehner smoked so many cigarettes that new carpets, a fresh coat of paint and an ozone machine were required when Paul Ryan took over his office?

The irony is as thick as a brick. The majority of Americans want clean air indoors.

But the minority extremists now squatting in the House are flipping off health experts and organizations like the American Lung Association and are now puffing away in the Capitol. 

It's just another example of a minority within the Republican Party holding the real reins of power in the House and their agenda to burn it down. 

As it stands, smoking in the Capitol is a sure sign of future fires.

Bigly Fox News Alert: Hunter Biden Has Been Visiting His Dad's House - and even Sleeping There - for Years

The cable TV network where truth dies daily - Fox News - released a stunning expose about Hunter Biden today.

You might want to check if kids are around before reading this shocking article. 

It turns out that in Hunter Biden's memoir published in April 2021, the president's son said he and other close family members spent election night on Nov. 3, 2020, at the Wilmington, Delaware home.

Okay. Then what?

Hunter recalled spending several days there with his parents - Melissa and the baby, his girls Natalie and Ashley and Howard.

"More than waiting together, we were also quarantined together. There was no escaping one another." 

Wait a minute!

Did you read that? It appears the family voluntarily quarantined together during the height of the pandemic sweeping the nation.

What depravity! Luckily Fox staffers Thomas Catenacci and Peter (the douchebag) Doocy uncovered the scandal last night. 

You may understandably be puzzled about what crime was committed.

The Fox narrative is that Hunter who is facing wide-ranging probes into his business dealings once noted (remember the memoir?) that he and family members QUARANTINED at his father's home where classified documents were recently found...

So? By insinuating Hunter was hiding classified documents with his name on them because he was there... is downright stupid and defamatory.

News flash for MAGA readers!

It's quite common for a son to visit his parents and family. Full stop. As a matter of fact, he's done that for years.

Twisting facts? You bet. Check out the lurid headline online:

Hunter Biden 'Quarantined' at Delaware House Where Classfied Docs Found: 'There was no escaping.'

It's obvious they tried to give a negative impression by just taking words from Hunter's book - "quarantined" and the line about "There was no escaping," and making them somehow appear sinister.

And that was just the headline. As you can imagine the following article was another MAGA fever dream full of falsehoods and nasty inuendoes.

In other words, just another daily dose of bullshit from the shameless network brought to you by an Australian billionaire who hates America.

As it stands, what would really be shocking is for Fox News to tell a straight news story without lying and catering to MAGA morons.

Insurrection Alert: Facebook and Twitter Looking at Restoring Trump to their Platforms and There's Nothing You Can Do to Stop Them

Elon Musk re-opened Twitter's door to traitor and insurrectionist Donald Trump last year.

Initially Trump told his minions that he wouldn't go back on Twitter even if he's invited because he has his own social media platform TRUTH Social. 

He also told his followers TRUTH Social was going to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech.

The problem is TRUTH Social is close to financial collapse and is facing several investigations by federal prosecutors and security regulators. 

So, the chance that Trump throws his own company under the bus is increasing daily, especially for the opportunity to get back on one of the two biggest social media platforms in the country.

It would just be another example of Trump's lack of loyalty and impunity to his own cult members.

Meanwhile.

More bad news. Facebook-parent Meta is preparing to announce one of the most consequential decisions in the company's history, a landmark move that will set a precedent for online speech and could affect the course of the 2024 presidential election.

Should they restore Donald Trump to Facebook and Instagram, or not? 

A Meta spokesman today told reporters the decision will be announced in the coming weeks.

Both platforms banned Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 coup attempt. At the time top tech executives felt Trump would incite more violence.

Finally.

There's nothing you can do about it if they both choose to release Donny boy on their platforms.

Why? The best explanation is because of Section 230's shield wall protecting bad actors. 

Section 230 is a section of Title 47 of the United States Code that was enacted as part of the United States Communications Decency Act and generally provides immunity for website platforms with respect to third-party content.

At its core, Section 230(c)(1) provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by third-party users:

"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." - Wikipedia

Congress is afraid of Big Tech. All the lawmakers' efforts to hold them accountable have failed because of their powerful lobbies.

As it stands, we better hope democracy prevails in stopping domestic terrorists like Trump from using public platforms to spread insurrection and promote extreme right-wing ideology.

Hemp High Breakthrough: Delta-8 THC Converted from CBD's - Good or Bad?

Have you heard of delta-8 THC?

The product emerged in the last couple of years among consumers as an alternative choice to getting high from legal and illegal marijuana.

Delta-8 THC is a component of the cannabis plant. Consumers are increasingly taking advantage of the fact it's listed under hemp and therefore legal. It's also cheaper than legal cannabis.

You can even order delta-8 THC via the mail making it an attractive alternative to buying THC-9 cannabis from the illegal market.

So far everything sounds groovy for consumers, right? Not so fast. There are always two sides to a story.

There's a question of safety involved. 

It takes a proficient and experienced chemist to ensure the safe conversion of CBD molecules into THC molecules. Inappropriate or imprecise techniques could potentially result in dangerous impurities in the final product.

In a recent report from the Brightfield Group, a marijuana analytics company, the demand for hemp-driven products has skyrocketed.

The new super star - delta-8 - has created a $2 billion-dollar industry in the last two years. It's also created problems.

Some retailers of the product avoid clarifying to buyers that the compound is derived from hemp and the possibility of something bad happening is greater than buying legal delta-9 products.

In addition, the report warns that the rising popularity of delta-8 THC in areas where cannabis is still illegal could negatively affect potential support for cannabis reform.

The fact of the matter is there's an unregulated, psychoactive hemp-driven product flooding the cannabis market.

The Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control have issued warnings to companies illegally selling delta-products online.

The key to this gray area lies in the passage of the 2018 federal Farm Act that legalized hemp. Delta-8 hasn't had to deal with the same testing requirements as cannabis. The result was a legal loophole.

As it stands, the Farm Act is up for renewal this year and we'll find out if this legal loophole lasts or is closed.

Is There Anything Americans Are United About?

Some Americans celebrated Martin Luther King's birthday yesterday and his legacy of fighting for freedom and equality.

Some didn't. 

The question is what are American's united over?

We're certainly not united in protecting democracy against the rising tide of fascism embraced by the MAGA cult.

We can no longer agree on what's fact or fiction.

The gap between Americans who live in the real world, or an alternative universe continues to get wider.

Right-wing politicians use the power of the Big Lie without feeling shame. They've normalized lying to the point it's no longer a problem, but actually an asset in Trump world.

Americans are so divided over climate change that we'll never be able to take the right actions to mitigate it.  

Polls show how politized the Supreme Court has become under the conservative majority of justices. 

The majority of people in the country don't trust the Supreme Court and see it as corrupted. But there are others who are pleased to see their radical agenda getting closer to reality.

There was actually a time when the majority of Americans wouldn't hesitate to defend freedom in countries across the world. 

But now we are divided over supporting Ukraine in the fight for democracy against Russian invaders.

Division over wearing face masks during the height of the pandemic resulted in over 1 million Americans dying... and counting.

I have to admit that I can't think of one thing Americans are united over. If you have a suggestion, please share. 

As it stands, it feels strange calling us the United States of America when clearly, we're not!