politics

Chastening the GOPerverts…

by MyBaconPress

The week 1 summary has spilled over to a second day. My favorite bit about week 1 was the Cassidy Hutchinson incident. Ms. Hutchinson is a rather attractive woman. She is young and she worked in Trump’s first maladministration. Apparently, the lecherous old men, rapists, sexual assailants, philanderers, and other stalwarts of the GOP spent time hitting on her, trying to arrange for sexual favors.

The GOP is planning a revenge tour against people who did the right thing. People investigated Trump’s crimes. Now Trump plans to harass those people to “get even.” It’s not like he has anything more important to do. Ms. Hutchinson had been a loyal MAGA, working only a few steps from the Oval Office. She was disgusted by the events of January 6th. Her loyalty to the United States overrode her loyalty to Trump, an unforgivable sin in MAGAland. She testified honestly to the J6 committee and now MAGA hates her. (They just hate truth, in general. It almost always harms their position.)

As they ramped up efforts to harass her, they were going to subpoena her electronics, so they could “get the details” of all those pretend messages where the Dems were supposedly “coaching” her to say bad things about The Felon. Then, in an unexpected move, MAGA Mike the Johnson stepped in and convinced the GOP that they should NOT subpoena her electronics. Apparently, she has LOTS of messages from LOTS of GOPerverts who were trying to sex her up – and they don’t want those messages made public, so they had to stand down, chastened.

Now I want to know what’s on her phone! What are the messages? Who sent them? MAGA Mike seems to have some detailed knowledge on the topic. Was HE hitting on Hutchinson, too? (Did his son get the warning?) They were willing to engage in revenge porn against Hunter Biden. Why are they suddenly so shy about their own attempts to get laid being made pubic? Let’s continue to shine a light on the ethics and behavior of the leaders of the GOPerverts. Whose wives should be angry? Just how disgusting ARE these guys?

Sadly, she can’t reveal them. The threat of revelation is the only thing that’s going to protect her, now. But on the up side, the threat of revelation will protect her – for now…

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The brown person round-up is already having the effect it was supposed to have. Brown people are terrified to be seen these days. It’s also having an unintended consequence that was predictable – and predicted. Brown people are hiding. They’re not coming out. They’re not going to work.

Sure, it’s a good time, pretending brown people might be the source of all human problems, but in real life, brown people do a LOT of the work other people don’t. Back when we were declaring SOME people “essential workers?” Those who HAD to keep working, even if it threatened their health because those jobs (unlike most white collar jobs) just couldn’t be suspended? Yeah, LOTS of those folks are brown.

Now, thanks to 47’s Heritage Foundation policy, they either won’t come out and go to work, or they DO come out and get arrested and deported. Either way, nobody is picking crops. Nobody is cleaning buildings. Nobody is showing up to building sites. In short, nobody is doing that same “essential” work.

Nice job, MAGA. You thought you were voting for cheaper eggs, which, by the way, have now hit a record high price. Now your whole LIFE is about to become significantly more expensive. Bigotry ain’t cheap…

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47 has this trait that just drives me crazy. I mean, he has LOTS of traits that drive me crazy but this one, in particular is just mind-boggling. Okay, maybe the mind-boggling part is that it’s SO apparent but MAGA just keeps falling for it, over and over. No matter what the situation, no matter what the word, no matter what the details, no matter how recently something happened, The Felon always, always, ALWAYS pretends he’s already an expert and knows everything there is to know about it. (Keyword: pretends.) Then he makes some grand pronouncement on the topic and that’s that.

And see, that’s the problem. There’s no shame in not knowing something, especially something new – unless one is deeply, desperately insecure. I think it’s why mental health experts tend to classify him as a psychopathic narcissist. He can never confess – to himself, I think – that there’s anything he doesn’t already know. It’s a trait you see in most three year olds trying to show they’re “big kids.”

On any topic, a layman (or a fool) is immediately recognizable to an expert. 47 talks about things he doesn’t understand, then, because he’s SO deeply insecure, he cannot confess he may have been mistaken. No matter how ridiculous his initial pronouncement proves to be over time, he sticks to whatever stupidity puked from his mouth in the moment.

I can’t speak to why he doesn’t just keep his mouth shut for a minute. It’s an old saying. ‘It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.’ The fact that he thinks he’s proving himself smart, or competent, or even capable? No. He’s just removing all doubt…

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Steve Bannon railing against Elon Musk reminds me of… well, it reminds me of me, railing against 47. Just because I’m right doesn’t mean anybody is paying attention. Bannon recently said Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, should sit Musk down and “sort it out immediately” before he does something that interferes with the president’s agenda.

Isn’t that funny? Bannon, apparently, still hasn’t received the memo. Bannon, apparently, still thinks Trump gives two figs about MAGA and what MAGA wants. Bannon hasn’t realized: Musk’s desires ARE “Trump’s agenda.” The Heritage Foundation has written the orders. Musk bought the White House for him. MAGA can only bring votes and he doesn’t NEED votes anymore. 47 will help Musk, not MAGA. MAGA can pound sand.

To be sure, he’ll never TELL them to eff off. He still wants them to buy his cheap, foreign-made and overpriced junk. And they will, too. That guy could offer his farts in a jar for $99.95 each, two for only $300.00, and these guys would be lining up to buy the two-fart set.
“Two for $300.00 dollars? Well, that’s a DEAL!”
“Uh, you could just buy two of the single farts and save $100.00.”
“But this is a SET. Libtard.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling really dumb…”

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Boy, the NFL is sure trying to push back against their obvious favoritism of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. I guess they’re afraid that people knowing they’re directing outcomes might affect the betting line. (Hey, I remember when people argued Big Time Wrestling was real, too.)

Their problem? MILLIONS of people who know the game watch, week in and week out, as Mahomes and the Chiefs get very helpful calls from the officials. People who played and excelled in the NFL are vocally groaning with the bad calls. It has gotten to the point where people (except fans of the team, of course) have to WORK to pretend Kansas City isn’t receiving favorable officiating.

I saw a list, probably put out by a Kansas City fan, showing how other Quarterbacks get more roughing the passer calls than Mahomes. But it’s not the NUMBER of calls that matter. It’s when they happen that make the difference. KC will get the call to keep a drive alive. KC’s opponents will have drives killed by bad calls. There might only be one or two bad calls an entire game but if they come at the right time, for the “right” team, they make a difference. And they always seem to come at the right time for Kansas City…

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Hey, is it at all possible that when 47 SAYS ‘tariffs,’ he MEANS ‘sanctions?’ I mean, despite the reverence of MAGA, he’s really kinda dumb and it’s possible he doesn’t know the difference…

Without Consent…

by MyBaconPress

Apparently, we’re all women now!

Anti-trans bigotry has led them to yet another foolish move. In his inaugural address, The Felon declared, “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” That’s not the silly part, though.

One of his Executive Orders, the one against Trans people, defines a female as, “a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell,” while a male is a “person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell.” MAGA doesn’t see the problem and smart people are already chuckling, right?

See, here’s the point: AT CONCEPTION? We ALL start female. There are NO “persons” that produce the “small reproductive cell” at conception. It takes about six weeks before the Y chromosome kicks in and starts adding the things that make males male.

Yet another charge as confession. We woke up, male and female, and went about our business. Then, with the stroke of a pen and in ONE DAY, he turned us ALL into women, probably without the consent of our parents. It’s an outrage. An outrage, I tell you!

Or he’s an idiot. You choose…

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If we’re going to declare a zygote to be a human being from the moment of conception, we now have to answer the related questions: does the woman get to drive in the high density lanes? (Two people!) Can the “baby” be insured? (Every miscarriage means a pay-out.) Shouldn’t the man start paying child support from that moment? (Hell yes, he should.) There are other questions. We’ll need answers…

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It can be easy to forget that California has a LOT of conservatives living here. We’re called a ‘blue state’ but there is a LOT of red, here. We even have Republican members of Congress. Let us, each and every one, pay very close attention to what those Republican members of Congress do when MAGA Mike the Johnson tries to condition FEMA money for natural disasters on whether or not we say nice things about The Felon.

Then, let us, each and every one, vote accordingly. Disaster recovery should be non-partisan. Even a MAGA might be able to recognize that. Especially when their house burned down and they need some help getting back on their feet. (They can get back to their posturing AFTER they’ve accepted all that socialized help they hate so much. You know… for others… at other times…)

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I’m just pointing out, they agreed to a cease-fire. Both sides agreed. But Israel has YET to cease firing. Either they didn’t understand what they agreed to, or they didn’t care…

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Politics is a weird game, isn’t it? The Felon came to California to ‘tour the LA wildfire damage.’ He’s been pretending Gavin Newsom “should have done more” about the fires. He’s been wrong, each and every time. We’ve covered it, here. There’s no municipality on the planet with a hydrant system built to fight that kind of wildfire. Yeah, the reservoir needed repair. Who knew there would be a fire when they started the work? Okay, yes, 100 extra trucks would have helped. Marginally. They would have needed thousands of trucks to fight that fire – and they still would not have been able to keep up with the Santa Ana winds.

Simply put, anybody who thinks there was something that anybody could have done, especially at the beginning of this disaster, has never fought a fire. (And, yes. I have.) But because Trump has seen a fire truck, he counts himself an expert and he has an opinion. A stupid opinion, but, hey, it’s an opinion. He has not held back, even a little bit.

So, 47 came for the photo op – to ‘tour the wildfires.’ Traditionally, the Governor accompanies the President (or in his case, the “President”) during such visits. So Trump made a show of being there, all the while stupidly “certain” that Newsom should have done more. Meanwhile, Newsom made a show of appreciating Trump’s visit, all the while absolutely certain he’s next to the dumbest person on the planet. They both made nice for a while. Now they can get right back to the charges and counter-charges. Weird…

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Well, at least he didn’t pardon ONLY violent criminals. He also pardoned the founder of a website called ‘The Silk Road,’ Ross Ulbricht. That was a site set up to allow drug dealers to work together to buy and sell drugs using Bitcoin. (It turns out, crypto-currencies are very useful in criminal activities and very little else…)

During the campaign, he said he thought it was a BAD thing, to release violent criminals and drug dealers into the country. Then he got “elected” and the first thing he did was release violent criminals and drug dealers into the country. I don’t know. I’m starting to suspect he may not have been completely truthful on the campaign trail…

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Well, there go the Inspectors General. You know, the people who sort of bird-dog different agencies to make sure they’re acting honestly and ethically? Yeah, those guys. Trump dumped them. Apparently, in violation of Federal law, by the way. But I guess he’s used to that. Now he doesn’t want ANY honest people around him.

Many of them were posted BY Trump in his first term. They seem confused. One of them said, “IGs have done exactly what “the President” (sic) said he wants: to fight fraud, waste, and abuse and make the government more effective. Firing this many of us makes no sense. It’s counter to those goals.”

Now, MAGA will say, “Since he’s so honest, he doesn’t need anybody watching over him.” I say an honest man doesn’t care if someone watches his honest and ethical behavior. But he just couldn’t risk it…

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Since Monday, the GOP has endorsed releasing violent criminals into society. They have endorsed releasing drug dealers. They have endorsed eliminating people who ensure ethics in government. Now they have endorsed Pete Hegseth, an alleged alcoholic woman abuser. (Last November, they endorsed a sexual assailant and known Felon.)

Hegseth was confirmed on a 51-50 vote. (Ironically, 5150 is the California Penal Code section for a crazy person, and we live in crazy world now.) It was a tie, broken by Vance. The worst vote in decades, maybe ever. Even Moscow Mitch “the bitch” McConnell said, “Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ isn’t enough to fill these shoes.” He said effective management of the Defense Department is “a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests. Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass that test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been.”

McConnell was rightly outraged after 47’s J6 insurgency, but almost immediately bent the knee and turned his attention to protecting The Felon. He, more than most, could have prevented this with the impeachment but instead, sought to protect his Party over his country. He succeeded, too. His party persists. His country? Not so much. Nice work, there, Mitch. History will record you properly…

Battling Leprechauns…

by MyBaconPress

In order to deceive his base, The Felon attended a church service. (Be advised: it proves that the Anti-Christ CAN enter churches without bursting into flames…) Church services happen pretty early – especially for an alleged Adderall addict known to keep late nights, so he kept nodding off. The Bishop who gave the sermon, Marian Edgar Budde, wrapped it up by suggesting, gently, that he stay in touch with his claimed Christian faith and have mercy on the weak and the defenseless.

You could see the fury on his face. Hell, you could almost feel it. Like any child, he has difficulty sitting still and/or hiding his true emotions. Melania didn’t like it, either. Her eyes squeezed into even slitier slits. Oh, and MAGA is pissed off, too. How DARE that… woman suggest a Christian follow the teachings of Christ?

What, do you think she didn’t know what kind of reaction she might get? I thought it was a pretty brave thing to do, even though she DID have cover. CAN MAGA attack a Bishop for suggesting people follow the teaching of Christ? HELL YES, they can.

Jesus wouldn’t recognize their behavior, but Satan is laughing his ass off, thrilled by their support…

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“It was NOT a Nazi salute!”
“It sure looked like a Nazi salute.”
“NO! He has Asperger’s (or something) and just threw his heart to the people in a clumsy way.”
“Uh-huh. And I might be using my middle finger to point to the birds in the sky, but I’m guessing you’d receive that as the universally recognized gesture it is.”

Oh, and for the record, the actual Neo-Nazis of the world? They had a collective waking wet dream when they saw it. “We’re BACK, baby!” Here’s a tip: when the actual Nazis of the planet recognize and celebrate your gesture as a Nazi salute, it’s a Nazi salute.

If you don’t LIKE that people know you’re aligned with people who throw Nazi salutes, maybe it makes MORE sense to separate yourself from the group that celebrates Nazi salutes rather than trying to convince the world around you it was just some kind of seizure…

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Really, it’s gaslighting. I mean, the whole world knows what happened on January 6th, 2021. Even MAGA knows what happened, though they’ll lie about it. We all saw it – and MAGA was there. We all know The Felon instigated it. History WILL record that Donald Trump attempted an insurrection and sent his minions to carry it out – because that’s what happened. Even if MAGA re-writes it here, in this country, the rest of the world has already dutifully recorded his treason.

Telling me it was a “day of love” isn’t going to convince me it was a day of love. Showing me photos of empty corridors where the traitors were NOT, isn’t going to convince me there were no traitors elsewhere in the building at that time. Pretending there were a few “minor incidents” isn’t really going to minimize the violence that took place on that day at his behest.

The Felon is quoted as saying, “…they were protesting the vote and you should be allowed to protest the vote.” I’m guessing that if Americans tried to test that theory by, say, “protesting the vote” in that way, at HIS front door, he would have a very different attitude. We know from his first maladministration that he would run, terrified, to the Situation Room for protection.

But the gaslighting continues. It wasn’t what it was. You were seeing things. Up is down. White is black. No, there was no noise coming from the attic. (FYI: That last is a reference to the actual movie, ‘Gaslight.’) Frankly, it’s cowardice.

He sent his minions and they were only too happy – gleeful, even – to comply. Sure, they had anger and hatred on their faces and in their hearts but they were having a GREAT day. Smashing windows, beating cops, spraying bear spray all over the place, looking for a good place to lynch Mike Pence – what fun! And, of course, pure love.

So he released a few violent people and even a couple of killers. Hey, why not? We have a cover story, so it’s okay. The MAGA tale regarding J6 has not convinced me of anything. I doubt it has convinced any other rational person of anything. It HAS shown me that MAGA is afraid to take responsibility for their actions and is afraid to own that day for what it was.

Trump pretended foreign countries were sending killers into America and now TRUMP has sent killers into America. You can TRY to gaslight me, but I know what happened…

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Those LA fires are going to highlight the housing crisis again. I read an article in ‘The Guardian’ that said people are renting (luxury) apartments for $20,000 dollars a month. Burning down the available housing isn’t going to help that situation in any way.

But now that we have a corporate king running the show, nobody is ever going to do the ONE thing that MUST be done to alleviate the housing crisis, block Wall Street from buying single family homes. “No, sorry, there’s no place for you to live. Oh, hey, but you CAN rent an AirBnB if you’d like…”

Since nobody is going to stop it, the problem is going to get worse. Historically, lack of housing was one of the key instigators of the French Revolution and ‘The Terror.’ I’m feeling like the Fates have grabbed a couple of nasty key moments in history (The French Revolution and the rise of the Nazis), rolled them into a ball, and tossed them out over the United States to be lived again.

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Hey, have prices started coming down yet? He promised. He said on Day One! This is Day Four. By now, prices should be so low, companies should be giving their stuff away, right? No, huh? So far, it seems the only thing dropping is a new group of excuses. Why, it’s almost as if he never intended to lower prices on Day One…

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I once became aware of a man who spent much of his time battling Leprechauns. (This is a true story. He was the next-door neighbor of my cousins.) He had painted ‘Leprechauns go home’ on his roof and regularly invaded my cousin’s peace acting against the Leprechauns. One of his actions nearly decapitated my cousin. I mean, he REALLY believed those Leprechauns were attacking – and he was up for the battle.

In what we could pretend might be completely unrelated, The Felon wanted to politicize natural disasters, so he made up a story about how FEMA (read: Leprechaun) is not helping after a hurricane and that they were actually just getting in the way. The key point here? He made that story up in his own twisted, little mind. It was pure fiction. But now he actually wants to take actual action against FEMA because of his delusions.

It’s sad – and it can be dangerous – when a demented mind goes to battle against Leprechauns…

Thoughts On Day One…

by MyBaconPress

I’ll start here: Dear World, I will NEVER believe that we, the American people of the United States, elected this guy. I can’t prove it. You won’t see me in court making false claims. But too many weird things happened out in the open. We saw them. How many happened that we had no idea about? Trump has an idea, though. He said of Co-President Musk, “He journeyed to Pennsylvania where he spent, like, a month-and-a-half campaigning for me in Pennsylvania, and he’s a popular guy, and he was very effective. And he knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide. So it was pretty good, pretty good. So thank you to Elon.”

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Hey, remember when MAGA pretended to be all butt-hurt that Americans were calling them Nazis? Quick hint: if you don’t want people to call you Nazis, maybe don’t go around throwing Nazi salutes, yeah?

Musk throws Nazi salute

And, for clarity, he did it twice. It was no accident…

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The Felon took the oath but never laid his hand on the Bible. He made Melania stand there, holding the Bible, but he never once laid his hand on it. One can only imagine the flames that would have certainly ensued. (That’s just a joke, of course. I’d have to imagine the Anti-Christ can handle touching a Bible…)

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He ran on (among other lies) terrifying his base about the idea that other countries were “opening their prisons” and sending dangerous criminals. Day One? HE opened American prisons and released around 1,500 dangerous criminals. Every charge from a con is an admission…

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He withdrew from the World Health Organization. That’s some serious dumb, there. I mean, he has personal experience with letting his guard down regarding worldwide illnesses and infections. Remember Covid-19 and the millions his fecklessness killed last time? I don’t think a person is stupid for making mistakes. Anybody can make mistakes. But making the SAME mistake – with such dire consequences?

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Many on the left are worried about the damage he’s going to do, legislatively. They should be. But I’ve been thinking he’s going to unwind any and all efforts to battle climate change and on Day One, he pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. The resulting natural disasters sure to follow will take up most of everyone’s time, just trying to survive. Europe says they’re going to “stay the course,” but I’m betting the US can pollute faster than the EU can clean it up…

On the other hand, his position focusing on fossil fuels, the energy of yesterday, means he’s putting the United States way, way, WAY behind the power curve when it comes to renewables. Other nations get to develop those technologies and the US will be left behind. That’s just pure stupid…

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In an early test for his bought-and-paid-for, crony-filled Supremely Kangaroo Court, he signed an order trying to end birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is guaranteed in the Constitution. It was put there by the 14th Amendment. Executive Orders aren’t supposed to have the weight of overruling the Constitution. The ACLU has already filed a lawsuit, challenging the order. Will his court uphold the Executive Order or the Constitution? Isn’t it mind-boggling that Americans can’t just know the ‘roos will support the Constitution? We’ll have to wait and see what they do…

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I’d bet that the rest of the world is going to keep calling the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico. (Me, too, by the way.) I mean, is he really SO racist he can’t even SEE the word ‘Mexico’ without freaking out? Then again, running around with his Sharpie, changing the word ‘Mexico’ to ‘America’ on every map in the country should keep him busy enough to distract from the real damage. Quick, somebody find this guy a Sharpie…

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When Biden tried to get a law to help with the border, MAGA screamed that he could have just done it with an Executive Order. The Felon spent some of his day rescinding many of Biden’s Executive Orders – because one can. Easily. A law? Well, that’s a bit harder. It looks like Biden was right to want a law, after all…

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Steve Bannon (the bringer of the Base) swore he was going to get Musk (the bringer of the money) out by inauguration day. Co-President Musk was right near Trump. Bannon wasn’t even there. It looks like Bannon’s efforts to eliminate the billionaire boys club from Trump’s world have been… less than successful. You might want to pay attention, MAGA. This is your future…

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Sooner or later, I have to believe MAGA will start to bitch, pretending the left is being mean to them by pointing out all the various and sundry ways they’re getting burned by the lying Felon. Suck it up, snowflakes. We’re just trying to help. You refuse to see by yourselves, so we point it out. You’ll still refuse to see, of course. But we’re just trying to help…

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Drill, baby drill? Nope. I mean, he’ll open the lands. The oil companies will take the leases, too. Having the leases artificially fattens up their bottom line. But will they actually drill? Well, according the the oil companies, no. THEY say they’re happy with the current production and have no plans to increase it…

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One of those Executive Orders The Felon rescinded, by the way, lowered prescription drug prices. The Felon thinks people should have to pay whatever the pharmaceutical companies want to charge, based on their whims (and the desperation level of the patient.) Fortunately, MAGA probably doesn’t use prescription drugs so they, likely, won’t notice the sudden spike in drug prices…

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Elon’s getting an office in the White House complex. This way, he can be close to his co-president and have immediate input with The Felon. MAGA can still attend rallies and buy his cheap crap – none of which is made in America. Hey, they can even write letters if they want to. They’re allowed to sing his praises and worship his every step.

But Elon gets the immediate access and the office down the hall…

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So, Day One was a whirlwind of destructive activity. There were a lot more EOs signed. The Heritage Foundation was ready to go. It wasn’t even a full day. He released violent prisoners and took action aimed at harming Americans – not to mention the rest of the world. Lawsuits are already flying. Day One and the United States of America is thrown into chaos and uncertainty. It’s going to be a long, long ride – and there ARE no safety rails. Good luck…

January 20, 2025 – RIP USA…

by MyBaconPress

Well, here we are, the darkest day in United States history, January 20, 2025. With apologies to FDR, another date that will “live in infamy,” the day our Republic failed. By the time you read this, it’s possible the end has come already, the inauguration is over. It’s possible the vicious Executive Orders are ALREADY flying around, harming human beings everywhere. It’s more likely he’s going to bask in the glow of the moment and start his destruction tomorrow, though.

The Great Experiment has come to an end. Benjamin Franklin said we had a Republic – IF we could keep it. We couldn’t. We allowed large concentrations of wealth to bring us down. To be sure, you’ll still be able to look at a map and find a stretch of land identified as ‘The United States of America.’ But the land of our founders is over. The opportunity and equality they (kind of) sought is no more. The oligarchs have won and it looks like they intend to press their advantage to the fullest. That’s going to suck for the work-a-day Joe.

You’ll see what used to be the flag representing the United States flying at full height in defiance of history, respect, and decorum. The new paradigm. The Felon’s ego couldn’t handle the idea that the nation was showing respect to someone else on his “special day.” A classy guy would have left the flags in their proper place and mentioned why in his speech. Trump threw a tantrum.

I’m sure MAGA is happy, for the moment. They think they’ve finally gotten what they want. I think they’re in for a surprise. I think they’ve been useful tools of the oligarchs and the tools are no longer needed. The oligarchs have what they want. The One Percent gets to stand near him, meet with him, shake his hand. MAGA is left out in the cold.

I go back and forth on whether MAGA will ever figure out they’ve been duped. I can tell you that the resistance is going to be easier if MAGA does figure it out and we, the people (I mean, the masses) work together to stop this nightmare.

Perhaps it’s a good idea to take a look back and see how this all started. Be advised, this is generalized and simplified. This column isn’t long enough to go into detail on each element, and you don’t want to take that much time reading it. So… a synopsis…

It was the brainchild of Charles Koch but it took the acting chops of Ronald Reagan to introduce the idea of “Voodoo Economics” in 1980 with a straight face. It’s actually called ‘Supply-side economics,’ but since there’s no such thing, it really IS just Voodoo. Bush 41 coined the term when he was running against Reagan. When he became VP, he suddenly didn’t worry about Voodoo economics. But he was right the first time.

The next step was perpetrated by two guys. Newt Gingrich hired a guy named Frank Luntz to distort language in a way that made it easier to attack America with words. So, for example, the Inheritance Tax became the DEATH tax, see? Gingrich directed the GOP to use the NEW, inaccurate terms and NEVER the proper terms. New language gave them a weapon. It didn’t matter that the words were inaccurate. It mattered that they were scary. I don’t know if Luntz is rich or not, but when the guillotines come out, he deserves a place near the top of the list.

Now they had their fake idea in place – ‘trickle down’ – and they had a glossary of terms scary enough to manipulate uninformed minds. The next part was a weapon delivery system. So, they started buying up media outlets, mostly AM radio stations. They found Rush Limbaugh. Listen, Rush was an evil son-of-a-bitch. He deserves his place in hell. His lies did incalculable damage to the United States. But he was funny. People tuned him in because he made them laugh. They didn’t even realize he was poisoning their minds. But he was…

It got so bad for a while, one couldn’t turn on an AM radio station without hearing some talking head puke out some scary sounding nonsense intended to frighten or enrage. The problem was, they were really only using scary words to describe day-to-day events. They needed more. They needed to be able to frighten their listeners every day.

So, they started funding seats in colleges and setting up “Stink Tanks.” THEY called them “Think Tanks,” like the legitimate Brookings Institute, but they were designed and built to create plausible sounding mis- and dis-information. Now the stink tank could issue a made up talking point and AM radio would magnify it and put it on a loop. Brainwashing via repetition. But there was STILL a problem. There were rules limiting the penetration the vile messages could reach. They couldn’t, for example, own two radio stations in the same market or a radio station and a newspaper.

We had those rules for exactly the reason the oligarchs needed to get rid of them; they prevented a single message from permeating the body politic. It was a competition of ideas. The reason the oligarchs had to change it is, their ideas sucked. Most people still knew they were false. One side could easily and effectively push back against the other side.

Bill Clinton helped them out with that one when he signed the legislation eliminating the rules of ownership in 1996. Have you noticed the dates? This was sixteen years on and the One Percent just kept their eyes on the prize. Clinton also helped them launch ‘Fox Not-News.’ He had to give them a special waiver. (Bill Clinton is VERY rich now.) Thanks to Clinton, the oligarchs GOT their consolidation. It was mind-boggling. A big company would buy a group of stations, reducing competition, all while droning on about how competition is better. Well, yeah. It was. So they got rid of it…

Finally, they had the language to scare the crap out of people, the Stink Tanks to create false stories, and the delivery system to broadcast those fraudulent (and oh-so-scary) stories into the world. Now all they had to do was stick to their scary glossary and fine-tune the messages. They added new scares and outrages when something proved effective, quietly dropped others as they proved less effective.

Libertarians started infiltrating the Republican Party. They presented as Republicans but brought and highlighted the Libertarian message. They had to do it that way. People had become familiar with the Libertarian message and dismissed it as too extreme. Too many people didn’t recognize it as it slipped from Republican tongues, though.

The messages that made it through? Give the rich people all the money and they’ll do good things with it. (Still waiting.) Government is ALWAYS bad and ALWAYS fails. (False.) Private corporations, on the other hand, are ALWAYS good and ALWAYS the most efficient. (Extra false.) Poor people are the reason poor people have problems. (Nope.) Dark-skinned people are scary. (Not so much…) Taxes on rich people harm society and restrict innovation. (Exactly backwards.)

Later, they added the false patriotism and sprinkled in a bunch of nationalism. They refer to conservatives as “Americans” and non-conservatives as anything else, the scarier the better, implying that non-conservatives are not Americans. As predicted, they carried a cross and wrapped themselves in the flag. But the cross and the flag were props, nothing more. They were manipulations intended to deceive – and deceive they did.

MAGA doesn’t know ANY of this, of course. THEY think they’re a “grass roots” movement that sprang up organically – because that’s what MAGA media told them. People on the left were caught out by the extent to which the One Percent went to regain mastery of the American system. I continue to believe MAGA is going to be caught by surprise when they realize they no longer wield any power. They were useful idiots – and they’re no longer useful.

So here we are, January 20, 2025. Forty-four years since Reagan fired the first shot. But the oligarchs were patient, and their patience has paid off for them. At least, for now.

I find myself wondering if Americans still have that revolutionary spirit, or if we’re just going to acquiesce. Are we too worried about Tik-Tok to pay attention to the loss of our country, our freedoms? WILL we hit the streets in protest? I hope so. I can’t tell you how sorry I am it has come to this. It turns out, John F Kennedy was right all along. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

Fixed…

by MyBaconPress

In fairness, it CAN be difficult to understand, the idea of an economic system that prevents people from amassing too much wealth. But even if we can’t understand it, we can see the value of it, now, right before our eyes.
“Well, yeah, but how do you define ‘too much wealth?'” some ask.
“Fair question. Difficult answer. But I’ll say that having enough to buy the government is WAY too much. Having enough to buy more than one government? Well, that’s excessive beyond the wildest dreams of avarice.”

Among the fixes FDR initiated that the One Percent have now successfully eliminated was to limit the abuses owners can inflict upon workers but more importantly, he limited how much people could take out of society by taxing wealth increasingly as it went up. It’s literally true that once a person reached a certain point in wealth, they couldn’t keep most of the rest, anyway, so… they re-invested. Not, “might someday.” They actually did.

The combination of worker protections and the prevention of wealth hoarding made America great in the first place. Check you history. The United States was a struggling place, economically, until FDR introduced the New Deal, now known as Democratic Socialism. Then we became the economic powerhouse of the world – by limiting how much a small handful of self-serving people could stuff into their own pockets. Now we’re back to the corrupt Robber Barons of old – and one should properly expect the economy to struggle again, just like it did before.

To be sure, people still got rich. They just didn’t get SO rich they could use their money to undermine government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It was a better system and I hope we go back to it, or something like it, after the revolution…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It looks like Michele Obama is going to skip the inauguration. I think that’s a good move. In this moment, I think ALL Dems should skip the inauguration. I know, I know, the left puts on the good show. The left makes nice. The left shows decorum. But we shouldn’t.

I don’t call for all-out war and I certainly wouldn’t want to see the left acting like the right in most cases. But I’d be okay with overt shows of displeasure, at the very least…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen how much those oligarchs gave to Trump for the inauguration? Millions and millions of dollars flowed in – all in hopes of currying favor with The Felon. The final numbers aren’t available, yet, but, so far, it looks like they gave him $250 million dollars. He CAN spend that on inaugural parties and such, but he doesn’t have to. He CAN just slip it into his pocket and, officially, it isn’t even a bribe. Sweet deal, if you’re able to buy him. Kinda crappy for the rest of us, though.

Speaking of which, Steve Bannon, who did NOT get Musk removed “before the inauguration” as promised, is claiming that the “tech bros” showing up to the event should be viewed as total surrender to Trump. Bannon couldn’t get them out, but he could CLAIM success anyway. Still, I’d bet they’re there to check out what they’ve bought.

Now the inauguration has been moved indoors. “It’s too cold,” said the tough-talker. For him, it might be too cold. He IS very old. Of course, it might ALSO be that he’s afraid people will see his, um, crowd size and laugh at him again. I haven’t heard much about this aspect, but it’s ALSO possible he’s afraid to be out in public in crowds. Many people DO seem to want him dead, and we’re a heavily armed nation. Someone could make it happen, if they were of a mind to.

Mostly, though, I remember that he IS the anti-Christ and worries, first and foremost, about himself. I’d say he just wants to be comfortable and warm, so he’s staying inside. MAGA spent money to come to Washington DC to attend the inauguration. Now they get to watch it on television. They could have done that from home and saved a bunch of money.

So The Felon will be comfortable and warm, sitting inside, surrounded by all his oh-so-wealthy donors. MAGA? No, MAGA is left out in the cold. It’s an apt metaphor – and they’d better get used to it…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you see the games yesterday? NFL football, I mean. I suspect if I had to explain that to you, YOU didn’t pay attention to the games. Sorry, this bit isn’t for you. I went 1 for 2 on my expectations. I WANTED the Houston Texans to beat the Kansas City Chiefs but expected the Chiefs to win. I expected the Detroit Lions to beat the Washington Commanders, too.

The Chiefs DID “win,” but not without TWO separate assists from the officials. TWICE, officials called ‘roughing the passer’ on the Texans even though replay clearly showed no such offense. In both cases, the called penalty gave the Chiefs new life after the Texans had stopped them. Apparently, the rule is, no touching Patrick Mahomes under any circumstances. That’s hardly fair and it gives the Chiefs a tremendous advantage. Nobody else gets the kind of consideration Mahomes enjoys.

There’s big money shaping up, here. With some very generous assists from the league all season long, the Chiefs have the opportunity to win a third straight Stupid Bowl. It’s referred to as a “three-peat.” The term was coined by Roger Craig of the SF Forty-Niners back in the 1990s, when the Niners had a chance to do it. They didn’t make it. Nobody has ever done it. The Chiefs have a chance.

I’ve been warning from time to time, NOT to bet on the NFL. The games are clearly rigged. People tell me that one can still bet. You just need to figure out what the NFL wants and bet accordingly. But what does the NFL want, in this case? Do they WANT a team to finally achieve the three-peat? Then bet on the Chiefs. BUT… maybe, they want everyone to bet on the Chiefs, boosting the odds against the opponent, then have the Chiefs fall short. HUGE money for the NFL “partner,” Fanduel.

Did you notice that according to this bit, I’m expecting the Chiefs to go all the way again? Why even wait for the games, if the NFL has already determined the outcome, at least for the Chiefs? And with those kinds of calls, it looks very much like the NFL has already determined the outcome…

What’s Left…

by MyBaconPress

The oligarchs aren’t just coming for the USA. I don’t know, is that comforting? Elon, anyway, is sticking his nose into European politics, as well as taking on the mantle of President-in-effect here in the US. In the UK and in Germany, most of the people resent his interference. I’d say that’s the same as here, in the US.

Most people in those countries are pretty sure Musk doesn’t understand their countries, certainly not well enough to be chiming in. A small percentage, 13% in each country, think it’s a great idea for Musk to stick his face in. Based on the US experience, I would expect that number to grow. Conservative media isn’t just manipulating American conservatives. It reaches around the world, spreading lies, promising perfection, delivering misery.

Now, here’s the problem. Currently, Musk is viewed as a know-nothing meddler, and not much more. Only 20% of those polled thought he would have much influence. But that number grows over time. Nobody thought much of Musk’s intervention in American politics, either – until he brought $250 million dollars to buy the “election” for The Felon. (I wonder how many “votes” $250 million dollars buys…)

The thing is, Europe has been down the fascist road before. They know a little something about it. They have laws they can implement to push back. Right now, they’re in “What does he know?” mode. They’re trying to just talk back, tell him to butt out and mind his own business. Based on the fall of the US, I’d say they had better start using those laws, sooner rather than later – or they’ll get to do it all over again…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As required by law, Jack Smith generated a report on his decision to prosecute Trump and then stand down due to a technicality. He broke it into two parts, Trump’s election interference with regard to his January 6th assault on the Capitol and the stolen documents case in Florida.

Obviously, Trump tried to stop both reports from being made public. I don’t know why. The people who care can’t do anything and the people who could do something don’t care. But he tried, anyway. He lost on the first part. That part got released. Guess what? Basically, it says Trump is a criminal who would certainly have lost the case and been found guilty as charged, had Musk not brought that beautiful $250 million dollars that bought so much “support.” (Okay, no, Smith’s report didn’t mention Musk’s buy-in, but the rest is correct.)

The second half of the report has been stalled because there are still defendants in the case, so it’s still pending. Releasing the report could affect the case. Dems tried making the case to Merrick Garland that he should just drop the case and release the report. We live in a corrupt country now. The Trump maladministration isn’t going to prosecute that case so it’s dead, anyway. THEN, it would be up to Trump’s corrupt AG to “decide” if the second half of the report – the one that, likely, ALSO shows just how guilty Trump is – should be released to the public.

I suspect the toady AG will NOT serve the public and instead, serve ‘the boss.’ (No, not Musk, Trump.) The Dem position is/was, drop the case that isn’t going to happen, anyway, and release the report so that at the very least, the country – and the world – can see exactly what they’re dealing with.

I’ll tell you this: Garland hasn’t been a very good AG. I’m guessing by the time he makes a decision, we’ll all be enjoying the summer sun and it will be FAR too late…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, the announcement has been made. The inauguration will take place indoors. It will be too cold to be outdoors. If I had been planning on going, I wouldn’t now. I would only go because I wanted to see the guy, right? If he’s not even going to be there, why go? I’d get a better “seat” watching the thing on television.

The Felon is going from “small crowd” to likely “no crowd.” I presume he’s hoping for a ratings bonanza on television. Me? Oh, I would LOVE to watch, really, but I have… um… I have this, uh, paint! Yeah, that’s it! I’ve got to watch some paint dry so I’m sure I’ll miss it. Oh, bummer…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julie Su, Biden’s outgoing acting Labor secretary, is quoted as saying, “You can’t be pro-billionaire and pro-working class.” That is exactly right. Trump is going to have to choose, money or MAGA. He literally can not choose both. (He CAN lie to one and cow-tow to the other, though…)

I think the money is going to get the service and MAGA is going to get excuses…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to the ‘Wall Street Journal,’ Trump is planning on launching his assault on the American economy on Tuesday in Chicago. In this case, ‘assault on the American economy’ is defined as sending in the ICE agents. 100 to 200 of them. Hey, as promised, I know. Word is, there’s no special focus on Chicago. That’s just where they’re starting. They’re planning operations all over the place. How diligent. MAGA must be walking around sporting little chubbies… for now.

I know, they’ve been told all of the undocumented people are lawbreakers and bad, bad, bad people. MAGA media put Laken Riley on a loop all day, every day (hyperbole alert) and every MAGA now knows people from south of the border want ONLY to rape and murder them.

The thing is? In the real world, the world undocumented people are about to forced out of? Those people are all out there, working jobs, spending money, and contributing to the economy! These were among the “essential workers” back when Covid-19 made it’s rounds. These are not the pampered and protected CEOs, these are the workers. Not to put too fine of a point on it, but, you know, the people who do the effing work. Yeah, rip ’em out. Move them along. That won’t possibly have any effect on the economy, right?

I’ll tell you this: if you have to consider the cost of anything, because you’re not a billionaire, you had better hold on to your wallet – tightly. The economy is about to crash and the oligarchs are coming for what’s left of your money…

Wrong Directions…

by MyBaconPress

It was just yesterday, right? I heard Joe Biden giving a speech. He was talking about how awesome it was that Israel and the Palestinians had come to an agreement on a cease fire. Since the agreement had been negotiated by Biden’s team and Trump’s team, a spat broke out over who should get the credit. Truthfully? I’d have to say the credit should have been split between the two. The agreement is, basically, Biden’s original plan, the one Hamas had rejected before.

But Trump brought the crazy and Hamas believed him. Trump made clear that he was going to allow Netanyahu to do whatever he wanted in Gaza. Sure, it might start World War III. The Felon doesn’t know about things like that. He just talks tough. But he’s very, VERY, um…not smart and doesn’t understand the possibilities of his tough talk.

Still, Hamas seems to have believed him and realized that American bombs were still going to fall but there would not be any more American relief efforts and there wouldn’t be any more American negotiation efforts. Just the bombs. So, Hamas tried to stand down and accept the agreement.

This morning (and it’s early, yet) I woke up to the news that Israel delayed gathering it’s Cabinet to finalize the cease-fire and, instead, bombed the crap out of Gaza, yet again. Seventy dead – AFTER agreeing to the cease-fire.

I’ll tell you this: It looks like neither Biden nor The Felon are going to get credit for the cease-fire that, apparently, never happened. Lots of people defended Israel because Hamas attacked without warning. I wonder what that crowd will say now that Israel has done the same thing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wrote about how disgusting I think it is that MAGA is politicizing the fires in LA. I received some push-back. No, the MAGA story goes, it WAS Newscum’s fault. He didn’t sweep the forests. (To fight a residential fire?) There wasn’t enough water. (Yeah, physics.) He didn’t sign the non-existent document to move water from Northern California to Southern California. (Keyword: non-existent. Oh, AND Californians DO move millions of gallons of water from Northern California to Southern California every day.) “They” smog-checked the fire trucks from Oregon. (No, they didn’t.)

It’s all pretty crazy and I’d bet I haven’t heard them all. MAGA media is very good at completely wallpapering the landscape (it can be done – ask Christo and Jeanne-Claude) with misinformation so MAGA can pick and choose the lies that work best for them. When I was writing about the poor form of politicizing a disaster, I was really gobsmacked that human beings could take so much pleasure from so much pain.

MAGA is having a great time, blaming California. MAGA politicians are threatening to withhold aid to California until we clean up our political act. That is, bend the knee. THAT, by the way, is a huge F*CK YOU to every MAGA that lives in California, but that’s an entirely different piece.

Of course they are gleefully politicizing while laying fraudulent blame. They really have no choice. They absolutely MUST make the case that the fires were fed by Democratic incompetence because, as it happens, THEY, MAGA, own the severity of these fires. I mean, look, California burns from time to time. We expect it. But we were told by science that the fires were going to get worse because of climate change and, guess what? The fires are worse. FAR worse.

MAGA started pretending climate change was fake LONG before they were MAGA. Hell, they weren’t even Teabaggers, yet. They were just a loose coalition of like-minded, closed-minded people realizing they all hated the same things, like science, and America, and smart people… MAGA media told them climate change was fake, so they KNOW climate change is fake, even as the projections of climate science come true, over and over and over again. Like the fires in LA.

But MAGA doesn’t take responsibility for anything – particularly the things they’ve actually done. They’re not about to accept the blame for runaway climate change just because they’re to blame for runaway climate change. MAGA won that battle. It was the very definition of a Pyrrhic victory. They “won” the battle. We ALL lost the war. Their “victory” prevented humanity from taking effective action in time to prevent the global rise in temperatures scientists were warning us about.

So, now we suffer the intensified hurricanes, the deeper snow drifts right next to the more intense droughts. Stronger tropical storms anyone? Now we get crop failures and increased pests and illnesses. Now we get the deeper floods – and the worse fires. ALL of it because MAGA defended the activities of corporations that knew they were destroying the environment for humans, but couldn’t resist picking up a few more pennies.

They absolutely MUST distract from the fact that fires of this intensity are the direct result of their earlier position-of-the-day, that climate change is fake news. So, DO they take responsibility for what they did? No way. Sweep the forests…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, yeah. I forgot. It’s a terrible miscalculation and I apologize. Many on the left have been waiting for what we see as the inevitable ‘Come-to-Jesus’ moment when MAGA finally – FINALLY! – realizes they’ve been duped and turns, angrily, on their Precious. It seems inevitable to the rational mind. But these aren’t rational minds. These are MAGA minds.

Mr. Felon has not delivered on much of what he promises, right? Ask a MAGA, though. Either he DID, or it was Democrats fault he didn’t. Period. He has already told them the economy is going to crash because of Biden. They believe him. California has always burned, of course, but the fires are worse, now, and more often because of climate change. But, as we’ve seen, cons have decided against climate change so they pretend that if the (DemocRAT) governor had JUST taken a broom into the forests…

MAGA media has so much control over the MAGA mind, they’ll NEVER be allowed to see that the leaders they support are as responsible for their plights as anything else in their world. MAGA media just lays the blame. They don’t got to show you no stinking truth! They don’t need no stinking truth.

It’s a game MAGA has played since long before they were MAGA. Anything bad that happens is a Democrat’s fault. Anything good that happens belongs to whoever their beloved of the day is, currently Trump. It’s SO deeply ingrained, they do it automatically. I think they’re incapable of considering one of theirs might have done something questionable – even when the only available evidence indicates that one of theirs might have done something questionable.

It won’t be enough that MAGA understands they’re being harmed as The Felon starts his damage. They need to know that it’s The Felon doing it – and their brains just… can’t. We won’t be able to count on fallen away, one-time MAGA to help put things back to right, after all. Bummer…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the dark day approaches, I’ve noticed that Steve Bannon has NOT, yet, managed to remove Elon Musk from MAGA. Bannon’s attacks are widening. Now he’s railing against Mark Zuckerberg and all the other tech bros. He wants them OUT. Uh-huh.

My personal opinion is that MAGA has been the dupe of the One Percent. They played an important role but The Felon will be taking the office soon. MAGA isn’t needed anymore. Let the One Percent reign!

The only problem? MAGA is still there. Oh, and…MAGA MAD! I think Bannon is spitting into the wind. He can bring votes that aren’t needed anymore. He can bring public support that is no longer sought. In the other corner, the tech bros can bring money. Lots and lots of beautiful money, money, money. Where do YOU think Trump’s loyalties lie?

It looks like Bannon knows. He has decided to simply declare victory and move on. Clever, eh? Nothing seems to have changed between Muck and The Felon but Bannon is claiming he’s done it, Musk’s influence is reduced – so there!

Facts Are Facts, Even When Fiction Wins…

by MyBaconPress

When The Felon campaigned, he promised all the good things to all the right people. It was easy. He found out what his people wanted to hear, then he said it. They believed him. Lower gas prices? Done. Lower food prices? Day one. End Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine? Even before he took office. Deport every non-white person he could find? Count on it. Pardon every J6 rioter, even if they attacked cops? DAY ONE! Tariffs to balance the trade deficit? That’s the plan. Promises, promises.

He said lower energy prices would lower food prices because of energy used in producing and shipping food. Experts in the field say the energy costs are too small of a component to make a big difference. Oh, AND the energy producers have made clear they have no intention of increasing their drilling efforts.

The US, you see, is already producing record amounts of oil and natural gas. The producers don’t WANT to lower the cost any more. Sure, it would help consumers – but it would hurt shareholders. Who do YOU think our corporate overlords are more worried about?

He has already failed at ending Putin’s war ‘even before taking office.’ He’s looking at failure in producing more natural gas and oil. He won’t be bringing prices at the supermarket down. (“It’s hard,” he whined.) He’s backpedaling on which J6 rioters will get day one pardons. If he follows through on his promised tariffs, the most likely result will be inflation – and everything will cost MORE! Not surprisingly, that’s the SAME result we will see if he actually starts deporting every brown person he can find. Everything will cost MORE.

It’s starting to look like there’s not ONE THING he promised that he intends to do. Worse, if he DID do them, there’s not ONE THING he might do that will improve our day-to-day lives. He told a rabid mob what they wanted to hear and they supported him. It’s looking like ‘rabid mob’ may not be the best format for decision-making…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In retrospect, though, I’m not sure WHY I’ve been so upset over possible economic programs of The Felon and the damage those programs will do. His environmental plans promise to derail every human endeavor over the next four years. With people suffering fires, record-strength hurricanes, tornado clusters, extra cold winters and extra hot summers, flooding and/or drought (fueling crop failures), there’s going to be MUCH unrest, struggle, and desperation…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s weird, watching Steve Bannon call Elon Musk a racist – as an insult, I mean. (Pot? Kettle. Kettle? Pot.) It’s even weirder hearing Newt Gingrich talking about the importance of open legal borders in direct defiance of MAGA right now. Arguably, Gingrich is more responsible than any other politician for launching the far right movement that eventually became MAGA. He’s a deeply evil individual with folksy charm.

He created a monster that DOES NOT DO nuance. Now, he’s trying a nuanced argument to justify some immigration. I suspect that’s going to be a tough sell. Gingrich seems to think The Felon won’t follow through on his promise to use the military to get to every undocumented person they can find and deport them. Oh, but not JUST them.

Trump is quoted as saying, “I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.” Send them all… back? Where, to East LA? That’s not much of a deportation. Trump’s words sound like he’ll deport any undocumented person AND their American family members. “Deporting” Americans sounds like nonsense but, then, many things that fall from his lips sound like nonsense.

Meanwhile, Gingrich says, “I’d be very surprised if you see any significant effort to change the game for people who are here legally. I just think there’s a very small faction of the party that’s rabid about this.” He has also said, “We are a nation of law [sic], despite some of the things that have been said. And I think that if you have legal standing in the American system, it’s very difficult to deport you. On the other hand, if you have no legal standing, it’s pretty easy to deport you, right? And I’m for doing the easy first. That’s why we should give [Dreamers] legal status, as a practical matter.”

Do you think Gingrich can get The Felon to deport people in a nuanced and thoughtful way? ‘Nuanced’ and ‘thoughtful’ are not words I normally associate with Trump and his acolytes…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let’s say you have a house. It’s been in your family for 250 years and, let’s face it, it could use some attention. Is the right answer to identify the problems and correct them as they come up, or would it be better just to set fire to the whole freaking thing and burn it to the ground?

MAGA has chosen, “Burn it! Burn it all!” I can’t agree that was the best answer…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to make something clear. Jack Smith has resigned as Special Counsel. He didn’t resign because he lost his case. He resigned because the target of his prosecution created a legal loophole that allowed him to slither away unscathed. (There are advantages to being the Anti-Christ.) Donald J. Trump did NOT “beat” the charges. He did NOT “win.” He cheated – and got away with it. I believe that, had he stood trial, he would have been convicted. He’s still a criminal. He just got away with it…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve heard yet another smear in the politicization of the SoCal fires: fire trucks from Oregon have been held up because they couldn’t pass a smog check. Yeah, that’s the story. As with all things MAGA, it’s false. It’s just a smear.

Fire trucks from Oregon WERE stopped in Sacramento and examined. It was a safety and equipment evaluation, not a smog check. No smog checks were performed. The idea was to make certain that the trucks were up to the terrain they were heading into – for the safety of the firefighters involved. ALL trucks from Oregon are now on scene in LA.

But I’m guessing that the fact that the story is pure and unadulterated bunk won’t stop MAGA from repeating it over and over. (“They’re EATING THE DOGS!”) When have facts ever been an issue for a MAGA?

Brawndo In Action…

by MyBaconPress

Joe: For the last time, I’m pretty sure what’s killing the crops is this Brawndo stuff.
Secretary of State: But Brawndo’s got what plants crave. It’s got electrolytes. 
Attorney General: So wait a minute. What you’re saying is that you want us to put water on the crops? 
Joe: Yes. 
Attorney General: Water. Like out the toilet? 
Joe: Well, I mean, it doesn’t have to be out of the toilet, but, yeah, that’s the idea. 
Secretary of State: But Brawndo’s got what plants crave. 
Attorney General: It’s got electrolytes. 
Joe: Okay, look. The plants aren’t growing, so I’m pretty sure that the Brawndo’s not working. Now, I’m no botanist, but I do know that if you put water on plants, they grow. 
Secretary of Energy: Well, I’ve never seen no plants grow out of no toilet. 
Secretary of State: Hey, that’s good. You sure you ain’t the smartest guy in the world? 
Joe: Okay, look. You wanna solve this problem. I wanna get my pardon. So why don’t we just try it, okay, and not worry about what plants crave? 
Attorney General: Brawndo’s got what plants crave. 
Secretary of Energy: Yeah, it’s got electrolytes. 
Joe: What are electrolytes? Do you even know? 
Secretary of State: It’s what they use to make Brawndo. 
Joe: Yeah, but why do they use them to make Brawndo? 
Secretary of Defense: ‘Cause Brawndo’s got electrolytes.
– Joe vs the MAGA mind in the movie ‘Idiocracy’

I’ll tell you this: the right-wing disinformation machine is VERY good. People on the right actually believe Gavin Newsom is withholding water to fight fires in an effort to protect a smelt. It’s not true, but now that they believe it, of course, it’s gospel. Meanwhile, a Republican US Congressman has said the government should withhold disaster relief unless and until California reforms it’s forest management practices.

Never mind that this is NOT a forest fire. It’s conservative zeitgeist, now, and it isn’t going anywhere. The point is to politicize the fires. Accuracy isn’t important to them. Only blame. And blame, of course, ONLY falls on Democrats, never Republicans. That’s Rule Number One. Oh, and when blame DOES fall to a Republican? See Rule Number One. Sure, because that’s the way life works.

I’m not sure what kind of craven thought process it takes to politicize such a destructive natural disaster and think it’s a proper, or even a decent, thing to do. You know? I can’t say it’s unexpected, though. This is just how some people are. I would say it’s boring except for one thing. Cons have taken to actually responding to their delusions. They decide a thing – evidence never a factor – then they act on their decision.

I don’t really care if someone wants to think a fire started because someone failed to take their broom to the forests. There’s not much I can do about that. I believe comedian Bill Engvall coined the now-famous saying, “You can’t fix stupid,” and it’s true. But now the MAGA mob is acting on stupid.

You just watch, this crowd is going to start watering crops with Brawndo because Brawndo has what plants crave. It’s got electrolytes!

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There’s a MAGA Republican out there, James Comer. He led an “investigation” into Joe Biden. It never went anywhere or found anything because it was REALLY just an harassment campaign. To be clear, Comer kept shouting to anyone who would listen that the investigation DID find something and Biden is too guilty – because he said so, that’s why. He never produced even a shred of evidence of any wrongdoing.

Now we learn that Comer has written a book smearing Joe Biden but he also decided to smear Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame. Comer claims in his book that “Woodward explained that everyone in DC knew that Joe allowed his family to sell access to him, but as far as he was aware, that was not illegal. He added that it should be, but it wasn’t. ‘You will have to prove all of Joe Biden’s wrongdoing,’ he said, ‘and you will likely not be able to do that.'”

Comer also pretends that he asked Woodward “what he thought about my investigation. He replied that he thought Biden had obviously worked the system his entire political career, and that his son and both brothers had a troubled financial history. He predicted that my investigation ‘would either be bigger than Watergate or it would end up being a big nothing burger’.”

Wow, strong stuff. It would have been stronger had Woodward actually SAID any of those things to Comer but, according to Bob Woodward, himself, he never did. Woodward insists Comer is “peddling stories.” Specifically, Woodward wrote to ‘the Guardian,’ “The dinner with Comer was tape-recorded with his knowledge” (emphasis added), and said that he had listened again to the tape, which was “two hours and 55 minutes” long.

“The statements attributed to me in what is apparently his book are false,” Woodward said. “I made none of those statements he attributes to me. I repeat none, and not even in a paraphrased form – either about Biden or about the media. I never said Biden was corrupt or sold access.”

Just to drive the point home, Woodward added: “In the course of the interview Comer made a series of wild and over-the-top allegations about various people and political figures. It was an endless stream. None checked out.”

And, by the way, Comer’s investigation ended up a big nothing-burger. But he’s going to sell books to the ‘water the plants with Brawndo’ crowd based, apparently, on crap he just made up out of whole cloth and is now MAGA doctrine, or soon will be…

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Okay, so The Felon ran on anti-immigration and American jobs for Americans. His base liked that and voted for him. VERY shortly after he was “elected,” his boss, Elon, told the world that (paraphrased), “Yeah, American jobs for Americans unless it causes ME to pay more for employees, so SOME immigrants are coming, no matter what.” Wage-theft billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy took it even further when he said, flatly, that Americans are too stupid and too lazy to do the work they need done. That upset MAGA, who think The Felon is honest, but the billionaire’s comments didn’t bother them as much as Trump agreeing with Musk and Ramaswamy.

A little mini MAGA war started, led by Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon. Loomer lost right away, apologized for her insolence, and bent the knee. Bannon, though, is still fighting. NOW, Bannon has decided he’s going to get rid of Musk. “I will get Elon Musk kicked out by the time he’s inaugurated,” Bannon told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “He won’t have a blue pass with full access to the White House. He’ll be like everyone else.” So… Bannon is planning to have Musk excommunicated by inauguration day. Oh, but he wasn’t done.

In the interview on Wednesday, Bannon said, “He (Musk) suffered a major defeat in America on H1B visas, he derided our movement as racist and retarded, and he lost. He has the maturity of a child. He has tried to change the conversation, after losing credibility in the United States and the fact that, frankly, people around Trump are tired of him.”

Truthfully, I thought Musk and Trump WON the H1B visa fight, based on the idea that they’re going to continue to use them at will. Where was the defeat? Oh, right, facts don’t matter, so then came Bannon’s next salvo: “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down. Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it; I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.”

Someone is about to find out where the power actually lies. It will either be Bannon and the MAGA faithful, or it will be the Billionaire Boys Club – and Bannon ain’t a member. I have no idea how this will play out but like all criminals, The Felon follows money. That can’t be a good sign for Bannon…