Wednesday, February 1, 2023

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.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

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. 

Monday, January 30, 2023

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.

Sunday, January 29, 2023

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.

Saturday, January 28, 2023

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.

Friday, January 27, 2023

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. 

Thursday, January 26, 2023

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."

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

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! 

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

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.

Monday, January 23, 2023

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.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

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.

Trump's Lowest Grift Ever Saved for Holy Week

This is a story about how the devil's puppet, aka Donald Trump, mocked Christianity by selling a book combining the Bible, the Constitu...