I don’t like clickbait headlines. In trying to get clicks it’s often true that at some point, the highlight of the headline becomes… “less than true.” I saw an article in the AP this morning. The headline? “Secret Service agents protecting Biden’s granddaughter open fire when 3 people try to break into SUV.” Sounds ominous, right? Holy gods, they’re going directly after Biden’s granddaughter?

Um, no. Turns out, Biden’s granddaughter wasn’t even in the van. Neither were the Secret Service agents. Turns out, it was just three car thieves working a potential score. They likely didn’t even know it WAS the President’s granddaughter’s van. To them, it was just another van they could break into and steal or steal from. A Secret Service agent opened fire. Bad guys skedaddled. No one was hit and the Metro Police are looking for the perpetrators. Oh, and AP is left with a credibility hit…for clicks…

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I just finished watching, “All The Light We Cannot See” on Netflix. It’s very good and I heartily recommend it. Here’s how it ends. No, that’s a joke. I won’t do that to you. Just watch it. The reason I mention it is because it’s set in Europe (France, to be exact) in 1944, when the Nazis were in charge. As I watched, I could not stop thinking of the parallels between Nazi and MAGA. It’s really quite frightening.

Handing a bunch of small-minded, little people tremendous power and authority was devastating to the world, then and ever since. Doing it again seems like the dumbest thing in the world people could do do themselves, their loved ones, and their progeny.

MAGA would pretend to be outraged by the comparison, of course. THEY haven’t killed 6 million Jews so they COULDN’T be the same. They’re unable to grasp that while the Nazi’s were rising to power, THEY hadn’t killed anybody, either. One CANNOT compare the end of the Nazi’s with the beginnings of MAGA and declare them different based on outcome so far. ALL of the seeds of “same” are there.

The show is built around radios and at one point of of the Nazis says, plainly, that the Nazis could not have come to power without radio. That character is right. In history, once they gained control of the airwaves, they had control of the narrative and spread misinformation and fear that helped propel Hitler to power. As Mark Twain is sometimes credited with saying, “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get it’s shoes on.”

Now we’re watching MAGA come to power through control of their narrative and the spread of misinformation and fear that helped propel trump to power – and threatens to do so again – via the internet. All of it, based on a raft of lies. The truth finally has it’s shoes on, though, so…

I’ll tell you this: the MAGA/Nazi similarities are too scary to ignore. We, the people who still love the actual United States of America, CANNOT let this happen…

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Speaking of tools of evil, Trump! He’s out saying he wants to allow cameras in his Federal trial. No, not that one. No, not that one, either. No, that one’s State. The DC trial. News outlets have already sued to allow cameras in the courtroom. In Federal court, cameras are not usually allowed. Usually. It DOES happen sometimes and, I think, it should happen this time.

I’ve been paying attention to his current NY fraud trial. He’s done everything he can to turn it into a circus. Then, he comes out and lies about everything that happens inside the courtroom. Yes, he knows there are reporters in there who will report the truth but he ALSO knows MAGA will never see those reports. The conservative media bubble will focus on his “statements” (read: lies), instead. MAGA will continue to walk around terrified, furious, and completely oblivious to the truth.

I suspect 45 might be bluffing but it could be true he just doesn’t understand how much harder it is to support his lies when the whole world (except MAGA, of course) watches the trial as it unfolds. In the NY trial, he and his “lawyers” have been as disruptive as they can possibly manage. They’re planning a “defense” of tedium, trying to bring in over 100 witnesses, NONE of whom can change the facts but, likely, ALL of whom will likely try to “testify” that Donny is an innocent angel and won in 2020. The court is busily trying to sift through the “witness” list to see who has something relevant to add and who just wants to posture for their public. All of that without cameras.

So if he gets his cameras, HE thinks he’s going to walk into the DC courtroom and take it over, Chutkin being “only” a woman, as she is. I suspect Judge Chutkin will control her courtroom, and herself, just as professionally as Judge Engoron has done. But what THAT means is that the cameras he’s asking for will simply show him being slapped down time after time after time.

45 isn’t smart but he is clever, in an evil way, and he knows his audience. He sells shirts to these people that show his mug shot taken immediately after his surrender to authorities with the words ‘Never Surrender’ emblazoned on them and his supporter never catch the irony. Perhaps he can find a way to convince those same people – who desperately want to be convinced – that when he’s getting slapped down he’s actually “winning.”

I’ll tell you this: now that she has his “permission” as well as the lawsuit from news agencies that want to broadcast the trial, I hope Judge Chutkin allows the cameras. I suspect they won’t work for 45 the way he hopes they will and it’s better for ALL of America (and the world, for that matter) to watch this thing play out in real time…

MAGA gonna murder, I guess…
Cons are out with their message that the left is out-of-control dangerous. CRAZY! Unpredictable and unhinged.

Meanwhile, cons have taken to mailing powdered Fentanyl to people associated with the voting processes in various places. Yeah, the left is out-of-control dangerous…

As a side note: cops have made videos in which one of their deputies just touches Fentanyl and the deputy falls to the ground and goes into seizures. The videos are an attempt to scare the daylights out of people who might use Fentanyl. (“See how dangerous it is?”) Fentanyl IS dangerous. Just not touch-it-and-die dangerous. But MAGA, apparently, believes these videos are gospel so they’re lacing envelopes with Fentanyl and mailing ’em out.

I should add that at least one of the envelopes also contained a couple of symbols often associated with the left. The problem is, the same envelope also included a pentagram, often associated with devil worship. That’s because MAGA cons think all lefties are immoral devil worshipers so, naturally, we would include a pentagram on pretty much all of our communications. It’s a wonder they didn’t sign it, “Don’t blame conservatives for this. It’s from some libtard!” Smooth. Now we’ll never know which side it came from…

Fortunately, the envelopes not likely to kill anyone.
Unfortunately, the cons are perfectly willing to try…

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If not murder, might as well cheat…
The cons have realized Donny is going to lose his case in the NY fraud trial. I say, “…going to lose,” he has already lost. The judge has already ruled that the Trump Organization lied, lied, and then lied again. These days, it seems as if his entire so-called “fortune” may have been a lie from the start. It didn’t take a math genius to figure it out. A building appraised at, say, $18 million dollars is claimed to be worth say, $1.8 BILLION when he wants a loan against it and the SAME building is claimed to be worth say, $1.08 when it’s time to pay taxes. Pretty clear fraud, so even the cons KNOW this one is bad for Donny.

Enter Rep. Elise Stefanik, (R, of course). She’s decided to try to save the day by filing a letter accusing judge Engoron of bias and calling on the judge to recuse himself. Please note: that’s a United States Representative, a Federal position, sticking her nose into a NY State issue. Yes, she’s from the state but she has no business in a state court issue.

I’m pretty sure Engoron will line his bird cage with the letter and keep doing his job. He’s very good at it. He’s SO good, the cons are terrified of him. I kind of like it that way. I’ll be watching for the recusal letter for bias that comes from the cons when Aileen “Loose” Cannon presides over the stolen documents case in Florida and visibly loves Donny so much she publicly offers to hold him in a supportive embrace…

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Okay, so now, even Israeli apologists are starting to get uncomfortable with the decisions being made in this latest hot fight. The last number I know of Palestinian civilians killed (so far) is 10,000 with at least 4,000 of them being children. (Did you know? Most of the Palestinian middle generation has been wiped out completely. Gaza is mostly populated by older people and young children.) Israel has announced (you heard it here, first) they won’t be leaving Gaza anytime soon (read: ever).

One of the attackers, a guy who DID, in fact, participate in a drive-by shooting that killed someone, was arrested and is in Israeli custody. Do the crime, do the time, I’m okay with that. But then Israel went to the family home, where the guy hadn’t been for years (except occasional visits to see his children) and where the family knew nothing of his plans (that anybody can prove), and blew it up, leaving a woman and three children homeless. That’s called collective punishment. It’s a war crime. It’s immoral as hell. It’s very likely a tremendously successful recruitment tool for Hamas or whatever the next group calls themselves. And make no mistake, there will be a next group. One man’s “terrorist” is another man’s “freedom fighter.” Minutemen, anyone?

Also, it drew a public rebuke from the United States. Israel basically – I’m paraphrasing, here – told the U.S. to pound sand. Their ongoing attempt at genocide hides behind the line, “Israel has the right to protect itself.” Agreed. But they’ve gone WAY beyond that, at this point. If a guy punches you in the face, you have the right to defend yourself to the extent necessary to ensure your safety. Perfectly reasonable. You do NOT have the right to beat that man to death, then go kill everybody the man has ever known, then blow up his house.

I’ll tell you this: If you DO take that course, you’ve gone from being a victim to being a perpetrator in your own right and I’d say Israel is comfortably in that category now…

It’s pretty clear to me that I’m supposed to pick a side in the Israel/Hamas conflict. The side I pick? Neither. No matter how I look at it, I don’t see any good guys in this fight. Supporters of Israel ignore bad behavior by Israel and embellish bad behavior by Palestine. (Not Hamas, Palestine.) Supporters of Palestine can’t ignore bad behavior by Israel and see Hamas and the majority of Palestinians as separate.

No rational person can justify Hamas shooting rockets into the middle of civilian populated areas nor any other portion of their attack. Brutally murdering 1,400 human beings, many of them children, at best, seems an over-reaction to the metaphorical beard-pulling and face-flicking aggravations of Israel. But it was exactly the response Israel wanted, needed, to go in and take more land and kill more Palestinians.

Every week since this conflict heated up – again – Bill Maher, a devout supporter of Israel, repeats Hamas rhetoric about destroying Israel and pushing them off into the ocean. He never seems to notice that while Israel never says they have the exact, same goal for Palestine, their actions tell the story. I’ve never understood how stated attempted genocide from one side is an unforgivable outrage, but lived attempted genocide from the other side is supposed to be perfectly acceptable.

After the initial Hamas assault, the press in the US went into overdrive focusing on the number of innocent Israeli children Hamas had killed. (A large part of the reason I couldn’t possibly support Hamas.) But in Israel’s response, they’ve killed – as of this writing and according to the UN – over 3,900 children with another 1,250 children missing and presumed buried under rubble. Children. That’s four times (so far) the number of people (not just children) Hamas killed, but I don’t hear much about that in the American press.

There’s one more piece that weighs in on my thinking. The UN estimates Hamas membership at around 30,000 to 40,000 people. (I’ll use an average of 35,000.) Gaza is home to 2.2 million people. That means that Hamas represents 1.6% of the population in Gaza. One point six percent. Israel is taking vengeance on the entire 2.2 million person population – and they’re using US supplied bombs to do it.

Yeah, yeah, Israel has the right to “defend itself” – and they do. But this whole fight reminds me of when George Zimmerman stalked Trayvon Martin until Martin reacted, then Zimmerman used Martin’s reaction as an excuse to murder him. I’m not sure I could come up with a better recruiting weapon for Hamas. Well played, Zimm…uh…Israel.

Biden has tried to warn Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, that the brutality of his “response” is quickly eroding support for Israel in the US. So far, Netanyahu doesn’t care. This is an opportunity Israel has been waiting for and they’re seizing it. US support for Israel will remain unwavering but there’s only one reason: Israel provides eyes and ears for the US in the Middle East. It’s a strategic alliance.

I’ll tell you this: Like I said, I don’t see any good guys in this conflict but I DO see some innocent people who have gotten caught up in the fighting and I don’t want my tax dollars to be used killing innocent Palestinian babies. I sure do wish there was some super-duper invisible cloud being who could step in and stop this insanity…

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As a direct result of his criminal behavior, Donny is about to lose his business “empire.” The whole kit-and-caboodle. Prosecutors have proven, beyond doubt, that Trump’s entire business “genius” has been predicated on fraud and lying. So, naturally, his support is – increasing? Yep, that’s what it says. Increasing. MORE people support the criminal fraudster because he IS a criminal fraudster. American mental acuity can be very impressive…

In fairness to them, his supporters simply refuse to believe he’s the criminal fraudster he is – and you can’t make somebody understand something they adamantly refuse to understand. I guess that’s a good thing for Donny. The loyalty of his deceived believers is going to be his primary source of income in the very near future and he has expensive tastes. They’d better get yet another job to keep him in the lifestyle to which he’s become accustomed while they continue to try to pay his legal debts and fines for him as well.

I’ll tell you this: I see Trump living off the efforts of his supporters as the worst kind of welfare. He’s taking money he doesn’t deserve from people who have better things to do with their own money. That kind of makes him the world’s biggest Welfare Queen, the most astounding Welfare Queen, the greatest Welfare Queen in history…

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Daylight Saving Time ends again and we’re back to Standard. It seems to do little more than kill a few people trying to adjust to the time change a couple of times every year. What a stupid, stupid idea and don’t we all look like fools (except Arizona and Hawaii) for continuing the practice?

Let’s just set it at Standard Time, leave it at Standard Time, and get off this crazy carousel once and for all…