Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me
— NiedermeyersDeadHorse aka NDH (@NiedsG) May 17, 2026
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Pet Science - there is quite a bit of detail if you follow the thread:
The research behind this is wild. A cat has about 470 taste buds. You have 9,000. A dog has 1,700. So the cat in this video can barely taste that pancake, and that is the whole reason it sniffs the thing like it might be poison while the dog just bites straight in.
All of our PetMorons this week are actually PetMoron Adjascent Animals!
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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde
This bobcat not really a pet but we see him regularly on the game cam.
- fd
WOW
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My wife watered her tomatoes this week, and noticed a few leaves were missing. We figured maybe the groundhog that lives under the shed may have munched on them, and put a little caging up to keep it out.
A few trail cam checks later...the groundhog had 6 babies. First time that's happened, and she's lived here for 4-5 years. Good thing I didn't plant much in the garden this year...they've demolished weeds around the raised beds, and are kinda cute and fun to watch (but not as cool as the fox babies we had last year).
Intrepid Liaison/Admiral Ackbar
So long tomatoes, hello groundhogs!
Might as well enjoy watching them!
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Guess who's back at By-Tor's house?
Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today.
If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:
petmorons at protonmail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
I don’t know what this wild bush is but my mom used to say the strands looked like little chandeliers. Thank you for gardening thread. NorCal Sierra Nevada Foothills Lurker
Name that plant!
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History of Photography
From Dr_N0
Hi, KT … Here's a bit of interesting material about autochromes from Public Domain Review that the Saturday Readers will likely not have heard of - but will still be interested to learn about. There's so much to know and share about flowers that just never sees the light of day that it's good to see a venue like PDR present it for inspection. I hope things are going well for you, and you're still producing a KILLAH column every week. Good on ya!
Harold A. Taylor's Autochromes of California Flowers
(early 20th century)
Today, the Coronado Flower Show, hosted each spring in the small San Diego Bay resort town for which it is named, is the largest tented flower show in the United States. But when it began in 1922, the display was little more than a few shaded tables of wildflower arrangements; the pet project of the photographer Harold A. Taylor (1878–1960), who had arrived in California from England in 1896, at the age of eighteen.
A true working photographer, Taylor documented Yosemite National Park (developing in an onsite darkroom), historical Spanish missions up and down the Pacific coast, and took some of the earliest aerial photographs (many destroyed by a studio leak). As the Hotel del Coronado’s resident photographer, he captured visiting dignitaries; more informally, he immortalized sports teams for the local high school yearbook. His images illustrate volumes of poetry, a 1920 historical romance, and the 1916 “pictorial survey” of the San Diego Exposition. “No man has done more to exploit the attractions of southern California or to spread a more general knowledge of the beauty of its scenery”, wrote San Diego chronicler Samuel T. Black in 1913.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful day, another scorcher here ☀️ I have to say I was rather pleased with this bouquet 🙄😂 Clocking off early today. Enjoy your evening. Cheers 🥂 pic.twitter.com/cLYes7X1Rh
My cousin saved an amaryllis bulb from her grandmother’s funeral a decade ago. The blooms this year were spectacular. Wish this pic did them justice. Her granny would be so pleased.
A lovely flower. Amazing that it has persisted for a decade!
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Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:
ktinthegarden at g mail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
No, patriots, there is not an Israeli Bioterrorist on the loose in Vegas
—K.T.
Do you care about biolabs run by Chinese illegal immigrants?
On Thursday, J.J. Sefton included in his Morning Report this piece by Debra Heine:Sen. Sheehy Calls for IG Investigation of Montana Research Lab After Lapses Involving Deadly Viruses:
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) is demanding a government review of two incidents in the past year involving the “theft, loss, or release” of a deadly pathogen” at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research facility in Hamilton, Montana.
Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), an NIH lab, “conducts studies on some of the world’s most dangerous diseases, meaning even small lapses could put Montana communities at risk,” Sheehy said in a press release, Tuesday.
Even more concerning are reports that a senior RML scientist allegedly attempted to smuggle dozens of vials of VHF [viral hemorrhagic fever] into the United States from Africa in January and lied to customs officials about their contents.
"The authorities" don't seem to have their act together here. I'm in favor of looking for ways to decrease the size of government, but here it seems that agents of the government were endangering Americans.
BUT WHAT IF GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT GETS EVEN STUPIDER?
The Montana cases above apparently involved personnel at a licensed NIH lab. What if there are unknown biolabs running in the country, perhaps even by hostile illegal immigrants from, say, China?
Well, we have watched that happen, too. "The authorities" may be starting to pay attention in this case. In February, Ace posted about a case that had familiar overtones: A Covert Chinese Lab Is Operating in Las Vegas and "Sickening" Nearby Americans
RedState's Jen Van Laar:
Several people who stayed at the Las Vegas home apparently doubling as an illegal Chinese biolab became sick after their visit, with two people becoming "deathly ill" a few days after entering the home's garage, according to documents reviewed by Las Vegas journalist David Charns.
And that's just the beginning of today's updates. We've also learned more about how investigators believe the equipment ended up at that home, the relationship between the property manager, Ori Solomon, and the Chinese scientist charged with running the lab, Jia Bei Zhu.
This is where the conspiracy theorists went into high gear, ignoring everything but headlines (and ignoring the nationality of the Chinese guy who owns the "lab") in order to post stupid rhetoric like, "Charges against Israeli biolab terrorist Ori Solomon were dropped by Israeli-born, Trump-appointed prosecutor Sigal Chattah. Her appointment as prosecutor was ruled illegal last year, but Trump ignored it."
The Israeli guy (whose visa was earlier reportedly due to expire this month) faced firearms charges and on June 4 will go to court on charges concerning disposal of hazardous materials. But he has not been charged with being a "biolab terrorist". The firearms charges have been dropped. The hazardous waste charges are state charges, much to the chagrin of the Jew-haters.
Ace noted the proximity of the "biolab" to an air force base. The Chinese guy who set up shop in Fresno, then in Reedley, may have had nearby military bases in mind.
Then again, before turning his attention to human diseases, the Chinese "scientist" in charge of these labs reportedly wanted to take down the American dairy industry (even if he failed to do it from Canada). Fresno would be a good place to attack American dairies, too. You may want to double-check some of the information on this reporting, which suggests that the guy now in prison is really a danger to the USA. I think I believe a lot of it.
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Back in the summer of 2023, we (though not necessarily most of the national press) were focused on what the Chinese guy above had been doing in Fresno and Reedley, in California. As in this post: Playing Kick the Can: The Chinese Biotech Lab in Reedley
All quiet at Reedley Beach
Back then, local media and local officials were trying to get state and local officials to pay some real attention to the alarming "lab" found in a warehouse in Reedley because a code inspector saw a garden hose sticking out of the side of a warehouse. There were no permits or notifications to the local government.
This scene doesn't seem to go very well with the idea of a Chinese biolab with 20 pathogens and unlabeled blood, tissue and serum containers, plus genetically engineered Covid-19 mice which were just thrown in household trash when they died.
The lab that was reportedly taken over by the lab that moved to Reedley (but who knows who owns it?) had an electrical fire in Fresno. Do you think that a former wholesale furniture warehouse had adequate electrical fixtures for (reportedly) 37 freezers? They never got business or building permits. Can you imagine a fire spreading pathogens into the community?
Last week, I wondered why it had taken so long for news about the Chinese lab to come out. The Mid Valley Times reports that "City Manager Nicole Zieba defends decision to not disclose the discovery of a an illegal lab in Reedley right away; situation stirs up a battle of 'protocol' versus 'public's right to know' "
When asked does not the public have the right to know what is happening in its backyard, particularly when that backyard is full of infectious agents, Zieba said that once investigators determined the public was not at any risk, it was paramount that nothing derail the investigations; even if that meant incurring the public's disdain.
"These investigations are still ongoing and are complex and comprehensive," Zieba said. "I believe the public is astute enough to understand that the more information that gets out to the public, the more the bad guys also know what we know. I think the public recognizes that."
She may have a point there. It is still difficult to determine who owns the lab, for example. The $360,000 tax credit Newsom gave to the bankrupt lab they took over was apparently not rescinded until June (even though the company had reportedly not met the milestones for the tax credit).
Zieba said she is upset that politicians are trying to make a name for themselves by criticizing the handling of the investigation. The bigger problem is the federal government and the fact there are no proscriptions preventing companies from doing what Prestige did.
Until Reedley.
"This company was already a bad player," said Zieba. "They got kicked out of Canada. They got kicked out of Texas. They go to California, they get kicked out of Fresno. They get kicked out of Tulare, they go back to Fresno. Get kicked out of Fresno and end up in Reedley."
Zieba continued, "We're the little David city that took down Goliath with a garden hose. We dismantled an entity that everyone else kicked down the road to someone else's town. I don't kick cans down the road."
And "The Authorities" have a second chance to ACTUALLY TEST samples found in one of these labs! And maybe keep that Chinese guy in prison for a while.
They broke out the robot dog and the drones this time. No use wasting that expensive investigation. The illegal immigrant they already have in prison was getting money and consideration from Gavin Newsom, the Chinese government and American customers. And there's so much we still don't know about him.
There was plenty of news this week, but meme creators were mostly focused on lesser stories, like Jill Biden’s recollection of her husband’s disastrous debate performance, which came as a surprise to everyone who hadn’t been paying attention for the previous four years. Good times! But what inspired memesters more than anything else was the candidacy of James Talarico, Democratic candidate for the Senate in Texas. Can a non-binary vegan be elected to the Senate from Texas? One certainly hopes not.
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Music
Don't sell your soul.
"Sold My Soul" is a dark, soulful journey down the Mississippi where deals are made in the shadows and the blues tells the truth. With gritty vocals, raw guitar, and haunting riverboat vibes, this track captures the spirit of a bluesman who traded everything for the music.… pic.twitter.com/DoMPAiivPm
The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
[H/T Hour of the Wolf]
*****
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Eau Galle)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind. Be nice. Don't be Pretti Good.
3) Running with sharp objects? Highly frowned upon. And permanent records can be involved.
4) Have a great weekend!
Please submit any prayer requests to me, “Annie’s Stew” at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks unless we receive an update.
Prayer Requests:
3/28 – Hrothgar asked for prayers for a dear and long time close friend and former neighbor, Daniel, who is scheduled for open heart surgery in mid-April. Prayers for his wife would be appreciated as well, as she will be carrying a heavy load for the next few months.
4/18 Update – Daniel survived his complex open heart surgery. He is sitting up and it seems like it went well, but they are not going to release him as quickly as he would like, so he is not happy. Thanks to the Horde for the prayers and please keep praying for his dear wife, who now has even more to put up with.
5/16 Update – Hrothgar sends thanks for the prayers for Dan. Thanks to his attitude and the miracles of modern heart surgery, Daniel is back home and in good spirits and mobile. He still has a lot of rehab ahead, but it sounds like a pretty good recovery to be home only 20 days after being on the table!
3/28 – Jordan61 posted that Mr. Jordan61 is back in the hospital. His sepsis has returned and gotten into where his compression fracture is, and he has vertebral osteomyelitis. The doctor is supposed to come in today and let them know the plan.
4/9 Update – On 4/1 Mr. Jordan61 was released from the hospital with six weeks of IV antibiotics, which Jordan61 is administering every 8 hours. He’s in a lot of pain; they’ve given him oxy, fentanyl, and dilaudid, and nothing seems to touch it. From what they were told, the pain won’t subside until the infection is cleared up. For the time being, he is bed-bound and they are limiting his movement as much as possible to keep the pain to a minimum. Jordan61 will send updates with progress.
4/25 Update – Mr. Jordan61 is making slow but steady progress. He can get up and walk for short periods of time, and can sit in the living room for an hour or so per day. He is halfway through the IV antibiotics, with 3 weeks to go. A physical therapist will be coming to help him build strength and learn how to move without aggravating his back injury. Thank you all for the prayers!
5/26 Update – Mr. Jordan61 had his last antibiotic infusion on 5/24 and his PICC line was removed on 5/26. He will have follow-up blood work in 2 weeks but for now, all looks good!
4/3 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted an update. Her chemo seems to be holding things steady for now. Unfortunately, as she is receiving a steroid, she has gained about 25 pounds. Her blood sugar has also jumped up about 40 points (which only happens when she is on steroids).
4/24 Update – Teresa in Fort Worth provided an update: The pump that was put in to battle cancer in December can only be used for 6 months. After that, it starts to damage the liver. So she may have to go back onto the medication that made her lose her hair and messed up her vision and nails, and then return to this medication after a break. This is not good news, since this new medication is working so well. But for now, she is doing well and is incredibly grateful for the time that she has been given so far.
4/11 – Eromero craves prayers for Mrs. E., as she has been diagnosed with lymphoma. She begins infusions on 4/23.
4/25 Update – Mrs. E. reports that she feels fine. Praise be to God that she has had only one distressful episode during the infusions. Thank you for all the past and continued prayers.
4/18 – neverenoughcaffiene asked that Devyn be kept in prayers. She is a young mother of 2 with a mass on her esophagus. The Doc said it was scar tissue and hopefully the second opinion will agree.
5/23 Update – Devyn had the biopsy and is waiting for results. Prayers are appreciated.
4/18 – Smell the Glove could use some prayers as therapy and rehab occur after gout/sepsis.
5/2 Update – The gout has cleared and the infection in the lower back is healing.
5/18 Update – Smell the Glove may be out of rehab this week, but still would need wound care at home. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!
4/18 – Sam Adams requested prayers for a friend, Mary F, who was just sent to a long-term recovery facility after having a tracheostomy.
5/2 Update – Mary’s breathing is improving, and they are weaning her off assisted breathing. She is now off the ventilator for 12 hours a day, and they are aiming for 14 hours soon. Many thanks to all of the Moron Horde for the prayers.
4/24 – Notsothoreau asked for prayers for a friend’s father (Cory), who needs prayers for strength and peace as he is going through some troubled times.
4/27 – Matthew Kant Cipher sent his thanks to those who prayed for his friend Layne (who is also his son’s FIL). The Horde may recall that in August, Layne was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He has since undergone courses of chemo, immunotherapy, and radiation. His latest scans came back clean. The cancer is in remission; praise be to God! Prayers are also humbly requested for Mrs. MKC, who is dealing with a new flare-up of a GI condition that had been leaving her alone until a recent procedure re-aggravated it. It is very frustrating/discouraging as she waits to see a new GI doctor.
4/25 – Retired Buckeye Cop asked that we would continue to lift his 16 year old grandson (LH) up in prayers, as LH continues to consider the call to priesthood in the Catholic Church. LH recently went to a meeting with a group of young men who are considering the priesthood.
4/25 – Fenelon Spoke asked for prayers for “I”, who Fenelon visited and anointed with oil, and prayed for healing of her health concerns.
5/2 – neverenoughcaffiene requested prayers for parishioners at her church, who lost their newborn daughter, Astrid.
5/7 – turambar asked for prayers for relatives. Mom needs prayers as she was admitted to the hospital to check her heart and cardio. They did not find pneumonia. Two months ago, she fell at her assisted living place, and broke her hip. She also has dementia. Turambar’s uncle fell recently and broke his hip, too.
5/9 – D asked for prayers. He was let go from his IT job and has started a business making and selling lens cleaners to make ends meet. Please contact Annie’s Stew if you’d like more information – either to order lens cleaners, or if you’d like to contact him related to IT job openings (DBA/Network Admin).
5/11 – rez986 asked if anyone had an update on Neidermeyer’s Dead Horse’s health. The last info Annie’s Stew has was from January, 2026, that he’d been given 6 months to live due to heart failure and was being treated and waiting for a transplant at Mayo.
5/16 Update – Dash my lace wings! posted that NDH is recovering well. IrishEi posted that NDH did receive a heart transplant and that she is doing well. She also posted a link to NDH’s X account, and her fundraising page.
5/23 – rez986 sent thanks for the updates on NDH. It is much appreciated.
5/15 – Toad-O requested prayers for his second ex-wife, the mother of his two children. They were divorced 25 years ago, and 3 years later, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and the children came to live with Toad-O. The ex-wife is now suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, and has been living with Toad-O’s daughter and her husband. The ex-wife fell last month and and cracked 2 vertebrae, and just was taken to ER with a rapid heartbeat and low blood pressure due to dehydration. Prayers are appreciated for her and also for the daughter who has sacrificed a lot to care for her.
5/16 – Anna Puma requested prayers for the family of Dan Fordice, who was killed when the aircraft he was flying crashed. He leaves behind a wife, 3 children, and many friends. He was a Warbird flyer, a CEO, and a veteran of the 2/20th SFG.
5/16 – Tonypete asked for prayers for Jane who is dying of breast cancer, and for Cheri who is in jail (again) for drug related crimes.
5/20 – D gave an update on his wife Susan and her continued battle with cancer. Her cancer markers are still headed in the right direction. She is on a new antibiotic, and it is causing some side effects, but it is keeping her out of another surgery, so that is a win. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers. May 1 marked one year since they found out about the cancer, and Susan is doing so well.
5/20 – E gave an update. She and her family were having financial struggles a few months ago, and asked for prayers. E sends her thanks for the prayers, and wanted to let people know that things are getting better, thanks to the Horde’s prayers and their church family. They have resolved their mortgage issue and her husband has resumed his side gig making deliveries. They are also cutting monthly expenses. They would like continued prayers as they deal with the insurance company of the person who crashed into (and totaled) E’s vehicle. Insurance only offered half the replacement value, so that struggle is still going on.
5/23 – San Franpsycho sent a praise report. His prayer to become a grandad has been answered, and Girl F will have a baby in December. Girl F still plans to attend grad school, but will delay a year, which means they will depend on them for child care. This pleases San Franpsycho to the nth degree!
5/23 – Vmom deport deport deport would appreciate prayers. She has been freaking out about her eyesight. Her eye doctor says she has myopic macular degeneration.
5/23 – I used to have a Different Nic could use some prayers as he waits for the results of a biopsy of a mass on his prostate.
5/23 – George V sends his thanks for the prayers on behalf of his wife, when she had a heart valve replacement. The procedure went very well and she is doing great in the rehab program. But prayers are still needed. There are indications of problems in her lymph nodes that showed up in the scans checking her heart. She will have a biopsy in June, as well as a biopsy on a skin lesion that is looking suspicious. Thank you for all prayers.
5/26 – Doof posted a request for prayers for his mom. She is back in the hospital. She is very weak from one or more infections, and is sleeping a lot. She isn’t really talking when she is alert for a few minutes.
5/27 – Grannysaurus Rex asked for prayers for Sherry, a co-worker, who is being tested for possible cancer of the blood.
For submission guidelines and other relevant info, please contact Annie's Stew, who is managing the prayer list. You can contact her at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. If you see a prayer request posted in a thread comment, feel free to copy and paste it and e-mail it to Annie's Stew. She tries to keep up with the requests in the threads, but she's not here all of the time, so she may not see it unless you e-mail it to her. Please note: Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks or so unless we receive an update.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
In the comments yesterday, Seth asked:[quote>Regarding Anthropic and their IPO. Why the statement as to it crashing?[/quote>Which is a fair question because Anthropic's Claude Code is actually a useful product and well worth the $20 per month.
And the answer is that Anthropic (and likewise OpenAI) spend a lot more than $1 to make $1 in revenue. Subscription plans in particularly are wildly unprofitable; it's the much more expensive per-token charges on their API services that make the balance sheets look less insane.
And if they hiked their subscription fees by around 1000% to reflect the real cost of the services, they'd lose the bulk of their customers, which would just make things worse because the training costs for new AI models are fixed regardless of how many people are using them.
The "security researcher" in question is anonymous and definitely no White Hat. The moment "Nightmare Eclipse" finds a security flaw, he goes public with it, regardless of the chaos that might ensue.
On the other hand, Microsoft could do well to put fewer security flaws in their code in the first place.
This is a bigger problem than ChatGPT, and a bigger problem than most people realise.
Traditional computer programs have code and data. The code tells the computer what to do; the data tells it what to do it to. And you never mix the two up. When you do - because of course that happens - your get a security problem and you fix it. Languages like Rust, Ada, and Java are designed to prevent that happening in the first place.
LLMs have a training set, and then after that everything is data. There's no fundamental distinction between the system prompt which tells the LLM how to deal with your prompt, or the skill file attached to application you're trying to work with, or the data in the application itself. There's just a sea of tokens.
And if you use an LLM to try to sniff out problems with prompts or skill files or datasets, a malicious actor can use any of those to infect your AI security system.
This comes back to the problem I mentioned with ClawHub, a repository for sharing open-source skill files for AI agents. They were using a security scanner, but it only checked the first 10,000 characters of each file to avoid blowing the its context window - the amount of data it can consider in one place. (LLMs are bad at chunking.)
So all a hacker needed to do was put their malware anywhere after the first 10,000 characters.
But worse than that: They could put malicious code in the file crafted not to infect users but to infect the security scanner itself, and from there they could slip anything in.
There's no known solution to the problem; it's like trying to teach people not to do stupid shit. The workaround is to limit the damage the agents can do, like not giving a toddler your car keys.
x32 lets developers work with 64-bit data but only use 32-bit addresses, the idea being that this uses less memory while providing the same performance as full 64-bit mode.
Only problem is, nobody uses it. And it's Linux-only; neither Windows nor MacOS provides an equivalent mode of operation.
Did some work on my own blog today, which somehow resulted in it going offline for about fifteen minutes. There was a long-existing problem with various log files (both application and database) growing to enormous sizes, and since the containers and since the containers are snapshotted and backed up daily, it was a lot of work to clean up afterwards.
That's now automated, with proper log rotation.
And then I cleared out a terabyte of backups and snapshots which pretty much froze ZFS for the entire server for a good ten minutes.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: Welcome mats are a plot by Big Vampire.
[W]hat's driving the popularity of a professional 21st Century clown like Pratt, with no experience in government, over a thoughtful, if imperfect, standard issue Democrat like Bass, in her nice professional pantsuit? In Los Angeles?
Well, I think it's basically something like this: there really still just is tremendous political alpha in getting on stage and telling the truth. But in local politics it also matters what you're telling the truth about, and a soccer mom of two will never care about Donald Trump while a meth addict's shitting in her driveway.
...]
If you had to distill all of this criticism into something coherent, I think it might just be that Pratt reminds libs of Donald Trump, who they hate, and he talks about crime, which is bad for lib politicians? People also have a lot to say about the AI-generated campaign advertisements fans have produced on Pratt's behalf, which many pundits incessantly credit to the candidate himself. But it's not clear why they hate these things other than their general appearance of effectiveness, and, again, Pratt has nothing to do with them. Still, I do agree the guy's a little bit like Trump, just not in terms of disposition or, from what I can tell thus far, any of Trump's most popular positions.
Pratt is another funny, charismatic white guy from the world of entertainment who obsessively discusses an extremely popular issue we are not, as good upstanding people in a one-party state controlled by the DNC, supposed to discuss. In the case of Trump in 2016, that issue was immigration. To a certain extent, Trump's winning issue continues to be immigration. But for Pratt, the winning issue is the obvious fact that many of LA's homeless 'victims,' who Americans are expected to imagine as exclusively a class of sweetspoken, down-on-their-luck single mothers, are in fact violent drug-addicted criminals.
Running as a Democrat in a city controlled entirely by Democrats, from the bureaucrats who run the place to the reporters who cover the bureaucrats, is mostly a sweet gig. But when things start to crumble as badly as they have in Los Angeles, and you've completely defeated the neutered Republican Party you're supposed to keep around for purposes of witch burning, the act of noticing problems becomes taboo.
An honesty taboo, if you will.
It truly feels like we're all expected to lie. We're expected to understand the good people are in charge, and they are doing their best, and any pointing out of their (many, many (MANY)) enormous failures can only help the bad people. Then, we are expected to believe the bad people will lead us to some truly heinous moral horror merely in the name of baseline functioning government. I understand this seems ridiculous, but I genuinely do think it constitutes the underlying psychology of a one-party town, in which not even Democrats are supposed to tell the truth.
...
Nothing has thus far painted a starker difference between the taboo-shattering Pratt and the incumbents who torched LA than the sitting councilwoman, herself responsible for a myriad of the city's problems, who is somehow framing herself an outsider in the race for mayor.
Bass is currently talking about how nice the city was when she was growing up, forgetting that she's been the mayor for almost four years, and Democrats have controlled the mayoralty since 2001.
So she's promising to return to the city to its glory days... before one-party Democrat rule.
And she's saying she'll address all of the problems she left unaddressed for almost four years.
...
When you shatter the honesty taboo and talk about problems created by the One Party, most people simply will not give a shit that you're a reality television star who clocks as just a little bit retarded. This is because the average person is starved for the truth, and if you tell it to them they will find you intriguing, fascinating, mesmerizing. Then, a good amount of people will decide that you're a hero. In 2026, heroes are memed, and in this age of attention he who is memed makes money.
...
Obviously, there's something a little bit retarded about choosing a former reality television star with no experience to run the second largest city in the country. Like, no shit, if a sane person with a lot of experience running a city who agreed crime should be illegal and reservoirs should be filled with water were an option, he'd be the obvious choice. But he's not an option, and we're living in a world post-Obama. Is the prospect of a reality television star in office somehow really more ridiculous than a "community organizer" like Karen Bass? Or a former rap star turned, for like five minutes, state assemblyman like Mamdani?
I agree wholeheartedly with this. In 2016, I desperately wanted a candidate who adopted Trump's positions but who was a more professional, less impulsive, more disciplined version of Trump. That option was not available (though I kidded myself into thinking that Ted Cruz would fit this unmet need).
At some point, the political establishment of the Uniparty will have to accept that simply insisting we have to vote for the buttoned-up stuff shirt who will sell us down the river because look, his stuffed shirt is so nicely buttoned up!, is not a winning message.
Ask John Cornyn.
BEHOLD THE TASTEFULLY-CREASED TROUSER
AND BE JOYOUS, PEASANTS!
...
Is this not the defining aspect of our culture today? Politicians will stand up and say the most retarded things ever said in their position, but they will dress well, they will say these things with an aesthetic of thoughtfulness, they will not violate the honesty taboo, and we will be expected to support them over the 'bad guy' who thinks the local hobo jerking off under a bridge should pack his shit up and go.
...
Alas, we are not living in the thinking man's world this summer. This is Pratt Summer. And I'm feeling just a little bit retarded myself.
Greg Gutfeld: “The politicians all from the same mold in a way. Why can’t we just go back to normal people?”
Spencer Pratt: “I keep getting asked, ‘What politicians do you look up to?’ I’m like, ‘I hate these people.’ What are you talking about? These people let my house, my… pic.twitter.com/dZBe5uinu2
Greg Gutfeld: "I walk around New York... I see a half n*ked crazy motherf*cker on the street shooting up or taking a crap. Like you're saying that."
Spencer Pratt: "My campaign now, how I identify, besides being the common sense American, it's the look around candidate. You look around and see with your own eyes what I am saying. And it's true."
"That's why I'm going to win, because my opponents just lie and they've had 10 years combined that they have created everything that they are looking around, and seeing."
"No more of this, we're going to stop this. We're going to get all of the tax money that these two have been stealing to put these n*ked drug addict zombies that are going number two and number one in front of your houses, your businesses, maybe trying to machete you or st*b you. We're going to get them mandatory medical treatment. Not an empty bed. They need help to get off f*ntanyl and super m*th."
Greg Gutfeld: “I walk around New York… I see a half n*ked crazy motherf*cker on the street shooting up or taking a crap. Like you’re saying that.”
Spencer Pratt: “My campaign now, how I identify, besides being the common sense American, it’s the look around candidate. You look… pic.twitter.com/5waZTfPaeA
Greg Gutfeld asked Spencer Pratt if there is anyone who was affected by the fires in Los Angeles who are still voting for Karen Bass.
Pratt said he is in a constant battle against those who blame "climate change" for the fires and refuse to see the failures of Bass.
PRATT: "There's definitely lunatics."
"Their houses didn't burn down but they could have been saved by the U.S. Forest Service, who came in to save the day."
"But these people have convinced themselves the palisades burned down because of climate change and these imaginary hurricane winds that did not exist..."
"So for them, they go, oh, it's the winds. And it was the climate change. That's what it was."
"It wasn't that Mayor Bass was drinking in Ghana and defunded the firefighters by $17 million, that the fire chief said we needed to keep everyone safe."
"Or that her Janisse Quiñones, the LADWP CEO that got $750,000 -- drained both of the reservoirs that were for wildfire protection."
"So, I don't know why that message isn't getting to them. I keep trying to say that out loud a lot."
So yes, Democrats continue to claim that the fires were caused not by a leftwing arsonist who shares their admiration of the murderer Luigi Mangione, but by "global warming."
And they continue pretending that no one could have stopped the fires, even if the reservoirs had been filled, because "hurricane force winds" would have prevented helicopters from flying.
As Spencer Pratt said, correctly, during the debate, the winds never went above 35 mph on the first night of the fires. Helicopters could have easily flown, so yes, the disastrous decision to empty the reservoirs, which had been created precisely to fight fires, could have stopped the fire early.
Bonus: About the other Democrat plant in the race, communist incompetent and DEI clown Nithya Raman.
She's been on the LA City Council for five years, after carpetbagging her way in. She has been a partner with Karen Bass in creating the disaster.
And maybe is still a partner with Bass: Spencer Pratt says that insiders tell him that Bass recruited her ally Nithya Raman to "run against her," hoping that Raman would take second place and keep Spencer Pratt out of the run-off.
I believe him.
Protesters staged a simulated homeless encampment around Nithya's home so that she could experience the chaos and menace of strangers living outdoors on your street the same way Los Angelenos have to.
She is now whining to the media -- who amplifies this whine for her -- that this "crosses a line."
She says this threatens her family.
Except... people with families have been complaining about homeless criminals shooting up heroin and shitting in the street right outside their children's schools. Nithya blocked a regulation that would outlaw homeless encampments being any closer than 500 feet to a school -- which would still be menancingly close -- saying that it she didn't thing 500 feet would matter as far as safety.
But put up a fake homeless encampment of non-drug-addicted bums outside of her house, and boy oh boy, would she like that 500 feet of distance.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Spencer Pratt just DROPPED THE MIC after they played the clip of Nithya Raman saying, 'he doesn't have the experience' to be mayor
"That woman has had almost 5 YEARS. She's been the chair of the homeless housing department for the last 3 years. The drug addicts that are attacking moms that are NAKED in front of kids, that is on HER and Mayor Bass."
"This is a woman who fought in her own district for moms that didn't want drug addicts selling drugs, being naked in front of kids in front of the school."
"She's fighting them on camera saying there's no difference between one foot and 500 feet to have naked drug addict encampments in front of kids!"
"So when these people talk, you're literally listening to a lunatic...she's not even going to be a conversation. We should just focus on Bass."
Spencer Pratt schools NBC reporter who wants to know if he’s running for LA Mayor just to promote his “brand."
Reporter: “Man, your brand is hotter than ever!"
Pratt initially talks about getting in the race after losing everything in the fires.
From October 2025: Talarico is subliminally screaming his actual sexual preference to us.
Transextremist and heretic James Talarico keeps referring to women as "neighbors with uteruses" who of course need "abortion care" almost as much as gender-affirming care, but now he's trying to correct himself to just say "women" once in a while.
Oh that's just silly. How could we do something like that? What are we, Jewish Mind-Wizards who can hypnotize people into believing something completely crazy?
A mentally ill antifa terrorist who praised the murder of Charlie Kirk done got arrested for having sex crimes.
"I never saw this coming" said someone who thought you were talking about Elon Musk becoming a trillionaire, but then, when you told him you said an antifa thug was a sex criminal, said "Oh yes, that makes much more sense."
A queer-identified Antifa activist who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk has been arrested in upstate New York on suspicion of felony child sex crimes.
Justin Robert Stroup, 37, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was arrested on April 30 by the New York State Police following a joint investigation involving Plattsburgh City Police and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). He allegedly shared child sex abuse material.
Stroup is a leftist activist and guitarist for the left-wing death metal band Dead Solace. The band announced on Instagram after the news of his arrest that they were immediately disbanding.
"This decision follows recent actions by a member that do not align with our values, our expectations of one another, or the respect we believe should exist within our community," the band said in a statement.
In 2022, Dead Solace performed a charity concert in Burlington, Vt., co-organized by Planned Parenthood.
After Charlie Kirk was assassinated last September, Stroup wrote on Facebook: "Rest in P*SS you dirty f*cking fascist." Earlier that year, he wrote, "I think it's time to get militant with my anti bigotry once again."
You're not going to believe this but it turns out he's a squat, fat, blobby kobold with a neckbeard.
Timothy Lawrence Reed, 35, is accused of breaking into a north Portland home occupied by a mother and her children, threatening to kill the family, and then assaulting a pursuing officer as he tried to evade arrest.
The attack happened around 11:35 p.m. on May 14 when officers responded to a reported burglary in progress in the 3900 block of North Overlook Terrace. A woman called 911 to report that a stranger had entered her home while she and her children were inside.
The woman told 911 that the intruder threatened to kill everyone in the home. Armed with a stick, the woman chased the suspect from the home.
The suspect was located in Overlook Park. Police said he ignored repeated commands and continued running through the neighborhood, prompting a prolonged foot pursuit.
"I'm not afraid of you, pig!" Reed shouted in the police body camera video. "I'll f*cking kill you!"
As the chase moved north of North Prescott Street, Reed allegedly suddenly turned toward an officer and struck him on the head with a large rock.
Since 2022, suspect booking photos are no longer allowed to be released without a conviction in Oregon due to a law passed by Democrats in response to this journalist's reporting on the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots.
An investigation into Reed's criminal history shows that just three days before the assault, he was arrested in Portland for felony unlawful use of a weapon, escape, resisting arrest, menacing, and second-degree disorderly conduct. On May 13, the day before the rock attack, he was released without bail by Judge Chanpone Sinlapassai.
You're not going to believe this, but he looks like a gangly Genderfuck Witch with hideous teeth who wears belly-shirts despite being nominally male and also having a chubby middle.
People don't join antifa because their dating life is too hectic, you know.
Parents are SUING Rochester Memorial elementary school after a male student who identifies as transgender entered the girl's bathroom with their 3rd grade daughter and peeked under the stall
The principal allegedly responded by saying the girl should use a different bathroom if she isn't comfortable.
NJ committeewoman and Democrat -- obviously -- was just arrested for driving DUI with a child in the car. She got hit with a child endangerment charge, too. Now she's caught driving with a suspended license. The rules and laws just don't apply to woke Democrats, especially woke Democrat women. They're fighting the oppressor by becoming the oppressor class.
Illegal from El Salvador who had charges for drugs, rape, sexual assault, and property damage was let out of prison by sanctuary politicians in Virginia before RAPING a woman, per DHS
Democrats want foreign criminals on our streets raping and murdering Americans
Elementary school principal bars parents from their children's elementary school graduation, to punish them for ICE's arrest of an illegal alien. This woke Karen naturally cites Muh Safety and Muh Concerns as a valid reason to punish American citizens for the lawful detention of an illegal alien.
Libs of TikTok
@libsoftiktok
19h
BREAKING: @TempeElementary Principal Bronwyn Sternberg sent a letter to families informing them that parents and guests will NOT be allowed to attend students' graduation after a reported illegal alien parent and her child were arrested by ICE near the school.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s “office of lgbtq advancement” is holding a “trans period pride” event to discuss menstrual equity & the experiences of transgender menstruators
The office received nearly $1 million in taxpayer funding this year
Venemously embittered ugly, unfuckable women are the Manson Girls agitating for chaos, misery, and murder. They are the shock troops of the Democrat Party, because the Democrat Party is the Husband of Last Resort for unfuckable women.
Tiktoker prays for Pam Bondi to suffer permanently from cancer.
To the cast and creative team of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey,
We write to you as Greeks, not as fragments of antiquity, not as echoes from museum displays, and not as characters sealed in marble, but as a living people whose story has never stopped being written.
First, we wish you well.
Cinema has always carried the power to reimagine ancient texts, to cross borders of language and time, and to reintroduce old stories to new generations. Homer's Odyssey belongs, in many ways, to the shared cultural imagination of humanity. We understand the ambition behind bringing it to the screen on a global scale, and we recognise the artistic tradition of reinterpretation that has surrounded these epics for centuries.
But we also ask you to consider something that is often overlooked in modern retellings of Greek stories.
We did not vanish.
Greek people did not disappear after the age of myth. Greek culture was not frozen in classical marble. Greek language was not extinguished in antiquity.
We are still here.
...
At every stage, something essential remained unbroken: language, memory, and cultural continuity.
Greek is still spoken today, the oldest continuously surviving language in Europe. Not reconstructed. Not revived. But lived.
That continuity matters when stories like The Odyssey are retold.
Odysseus is not only a universal symbol of endurance, struggle, and homecoming. He is also part of a cultural inheritance that has been carried through every one of those historical layers -- retold by Byzantine scholars, preserved in manuscripts copied through the medieval world, studied during the Renaissance, and still taught, spoken, and reinterpreted in Greece today.
This is why conversations about representation matter deeply to us.
We are not asking for exclusion or limitation. We are not arguing against diversity, nor against reinterpretation. Greek culture itself has always been shaped by exchange, migration, and encounter across centuries.
What we are asking is something simpler and more human.
That when Greek stories are retold on a global stage, Greek people are not rendered invisible within them.
...
So as you step into Homer's world - into seas, wanderings, gods, and returning kings - we ask that you carry this awareness with you:
That Greece is not only a setting in antiquity.
It is a living country.
Greek people are not historical figures.
We are contemporaries.
...
We did not vanish.
We are still here.
It's interesting, if a little sad, that the only answer to a Muh Representation argument is another Muh Representation argument.
The Mandala Effect and Gorp made $101 million over the four-day (actually five) day weekend, matching the original low projections, but beating the revised, even-lower projections of $80 million. Which I now wonder wasn't an effort at expectations-lowering so that Disney could claim they matched expectations.
Something kind of amazing has been happening since the weekend, beginning Tuesday. The independent, super-low-budget, YouTuber-made horror film Obsession -- which is about a Low-T Beta Cuck who wishes for a hot girl to love him more than she has ever loved before, and then discovers that the love of an obsessed, magically-deranged psychotic stalker isn't so wonderful --has been slowly catching up to the Star Wars film's daily takings, and has now overtaken it.
Obsession' Has Dethroned 'The Mandalorian And Grogu' At The Box Office
By Paul Tassi
There is effectively no precedent to describe what's happening with Obsession right now, the low-budget horror film that has achieved milestones like increasing 39% in revenue in its second weekend after word-of-mouth spread.
But that was even more impressive given that it was going up against the first new Star Wars movie in seven years, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which did win the weekend handily. But now? Obsession is...beating it.
Daily box office tracking is now showing that Obsession is now beating The Mandalorian and Grogu handily as of this Wednesday, earning $5.6 million domestically to Mando's $4.1 million on that day. And again, this is the second week of Obsession's release (this Wednesday is practically a non-existent drop from last Wednesday) and this is Mando's first week.
It also appears that Obsession could be heading into a third weekend where its revenue increases from last week's $24 million. That would now be going up against both The Mandalorian and Grogu and fellow YouTuber-directed, low-budget horror film Backrooms, which is now projected to make a mammoth $40-60 million, resulting in back-to-back hits for the genre. But Obsession is still in a league of its own in terms of its earning trajectory.
Backrooms itself is based on YouTube short films, and directed by the original YouTuber.
There's every chance that Obsession will battle Backrooms for the #1 spot, dropping Mufflerrepair and Gauges to #3 in its second weekend. Beaten by two low-budget YouTube movies.
Film Threat's Chris Gore says it's "riveting." He says it's "going to be huge." Allen Ng agrees it's "anxiety-inducing" but also says that the mysteries posed by the film aren't resolved. They both agree that this is intended as the first film in a franchise, so they're not going to properly finish it now.
Eh, I'm not sure I object to that. The thing about WTF Bizarro Mysteries is that they're not supposed to be resolved. The solution to the mystery would be antithetical to the point of posing a question which is supposed to be imponderable, without an answer.
I have thoughts about this. I'm a big fan of thrillers. Thrillers are just mysteries with simpler plots and lots of running around and yelling.
I'm also a fan of Twilight Zone WTF premises. This kind of thriller just has something impossibly strange happen in the opening, and promises you, don't worry, by the end, we'll have explained this impossibly strange situation in a logical and satisfying manner.
But here's the thing: That promise is a lie 95% of the time. The more bizarre and fantastical your opening gambit is, the less likely it will be that you can conjure any sort of explanation of any degree of plausibility or satisfaction. And this whole subgenre depends on starting off with the most outlandish and impossible premise you can think of.
That's why 90% of these stories end with some variation of "It was all a dream... or was it?" or "Oh my God, we've been dead the whole time! We're in hell!" The most original and startling the opening, the more you can be sure that the cameras are all in comas imaging it all in some kind of group hallucination.
Because seriously, what the hell kind of "logical" explanation can you actually come up with to explain this nonsense?
Normal thrillers-- those without the sci-fi/fantasy/bizarro weirdness premise -- also struggle to explain why anything in the movie actually happened. North by Northwest famously makes no real sense, and is just one set piece after another.
So my point is that anyone who likes this kind of thing and has been around the block a few times goes into it knowing there will almost certainly not be a satisfying and logical third-act explanation, and that the enjoyment will just derive from the freaky-deaky premise and the exploration of that through the second act. These movies (and books and stories) are all journey, no destination.
Every once in a long while, a thriller or Twilight Zone thriller will actually conjure up an ending that does make sense and does answer all of your questions. And that will become an instant classic.
But that is definitely not the way most of these go.
So if Backrooms never explains what's going on -- 1, it's not supposed to, the question is more interesting than any possible answer and 2, any answer they give will be stupid so why don't they just save us the disappointment and say We May Never Know the Motive.
Hollywood trembles in fear of the havoc the internet has wrought and will continue to wreak on its core business. Execs wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that blockbusters have been replaced by 30-second TikTok videos. And, yikes, they almost have. But perhaps the key to a prosperous future is collaboration.
Enter "Backrooms": A disquieting and smart new horror film from A24 that, for now, can only be seen in theaters, yet is the brainchild of 4chan and YouTube users. Its director Kane Parsons is just 20 years old and his movie is already an uncommonly hot title with the younger set. Eighty-eight percent of its packed preview night audiences around the country were under 35.
You can see why. While the main character of "Backrooms," Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is a sleep-deprived, middle-aged man whose dreams of being an architect have been crushed as irreparably as his marriage, a youthful energy pervades Parsons' strange and engrossing journey into the unfurnished abyss.
The seed of "Backrooms" was planted in 2019 when a user posted an image on the website 4Chan of an architecturally unsettling room -- tinted yellow with fluorescent lights, patterned wallpaper, ceiling tiles and gray carpet. People wrote horror stories online about the picture, which led to the detailed lore of the Backrooms, a labyrinth of eerie spaces accessible by hidden portals around the world.
Parsons turned the trend into a popular YouTube series with millions of views when he was 16. And he rooted his creation in documentary-style "found footage," like "The Blair Witch Project."
The director used that same on-edge aesthetic for his debut feature, which is set in no-smartphones 1990. Clark, who runs Cap'n Clark's Ottoman Empire, a failing furniture store, stumbles into the Backrooms when he walks through a wall in his building's basement.
The confused man tells his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve of "Sentimental Value"), who has her own demons, about what the messed-up oddity he's found. And Clark sounds completely insane.
"It's like the store just continues, I guess?," he says.
I love when arrogant but untalented people find out they're completely untalented and that their previous "success" had just been due to connections in the industry.
Now, reviews are coming for Backrooms, and while decent enough, they are not sky-high like a few other horror entries this year, including the runaway hit from just two weeks ago, Obsession, which is on its way to make 100x its budget amidst 95% and 94% critic and audience Rotten Tomatoes scores. Backrooms, in contrast, has a 78% Rotten Tomatoes score right now with three dozen reviews in. How does that stack up against the other horror offerings of the year? Here's the list of major releases:
Obsession -- 95% critic score
Send Help -- 93% critic score
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple -- 92% critic score
Hokum -- 88% critic score
We Bury the Dead -- 88% critic score
Backrooms -- 78% critic score
Primate -- 78% critic score
Und so weiter.
Eh. I'll see it on streaming.
Either way, The Marzipan and Gorget will drop to #3 in just its second weekend.
Last week, I mentioned that I would put up a thread for older/less-known movie recommendations. Please consider this that thread!
No corporate slop. Movies from an earlier, less stupid era, or smaller/unnoticed movies that people might have missed.
Oh: Question for y'all. I tried to watch Spider-Noir but I don't see any way to choose the "Authentic Black and White" version. I get a title screen that tells me I can select this, "Below," but there's nothing "below" for me to click on.
The "True-Hue color" version looks decent and I'd probably watch a lot of it in color anyway but I'm cheesed that I don't have the option to watch in B&W as promised.
The Soldier Who Was Mocked by Unemployed Nazi Gerald Platner Speaks
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Let me ask veterans here: If you collect full 100% disability from the military, are you able to also work? Because Platner claims to be an "oyster farmer" but also receives full 100% "disability." It seems to me he's that either:
1, he can work, but is bilking the system, because he's another Bernie Sanders laybout who refuses to work and exists perpetually on welfare;
or,
2, he actually can't work, but pretends to be an "oyster farmer" because that sounds like he might actually do some rough-handed work and wants to hide the fact that he's a layabout like his hero Bernie Sanders.
Any ideas? How can he be both so incapable of labor that he's on 100% full disability while also being an "oyster farmer"?
Which is it-- is he a Workin' Man or a Welfare Case? It can't be both, can it?
Update:
Ace, I'm a disabled Vet,yes you can draw 100% and still work.
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice
I know lots of 100% disabled vets who work. Lots of them work for federal, state, and local governments.
Posted by: lin-duh
I guess "disability" here doesn't have the meaning one might assume it does.
Okay, I guess I should have figured he wouldn't commit benefits fraud right out in the open.
But I've also read he declares no income from his "job" as an "oyster farmer." I think it's his wife's business, and he does not declare income from it on his income tax forms.
Update: From commenters, I think I can guess how this works: You get a percentage "disability" from various wounds you take while in service. This number is not dependent on whether you are or are not actually disabled. It's just a tally of woundings, and you're paid a stipend for life based on that, and it's called "disability" but isn't what your average man on the street would call "disability."
Is that right?
Next item: You may remember that the Nazi Communist Gerald Platner mocked a US soldier who had been shot by a terrorist. Platner laughed about the shooting of an American soldier, critiqued the soldier's abilities, declared that he was incompetent, and said further that he "didn't deserve to live."
That soldier now reveals himself in the WSJ:
Steve Guest
@SteveGuest
1h
Army combat veteran and a Purple Heart recipient Teddy Daniels in the Wall Street Journal: I'm the Soldier Graham Platner Mocked
"Flannel shirt and all, Graham Platner is Tim Walz on steroids. An entitled brat who campaigns with socialist Bernie Sanders. A real man by the lights of the Democratic Party, he presents himself as "relatable" to working-class Americans, but in reality he's a typical elitist who believes blue-collar, hardworking, salt-of-the-earth rural Americans are stupid and racist. I couldn't care less about the comments he made about me, but they are a reflection of his character. I never thought I'd see the day when Democrats would even consider backing a candidate like this."
https://wsj.com/opinion/im-the
Democratic men are having an identity crisis. Maine's Graham Platner, the party's presumptive nominee for U.S. Senate, is a prime example. Mr. Platner presents himself as a savior for working-class Americans while his background screams the opposite and his offensive comments about fellow veterans--including me--speak poorly of his character.
The tough-talking Marine veteran struts around in a Carhartt jacket and jeans, but recent reporting relates that he comes from a prestigious family where he had access to an elite private-school education and a lifestyle of privilege. He also plays up his job as an "oyster farmer," but the only client mentioned in his federal financial disclosure was the restaurant his mother owns.
...
Flannel shirt and all, Graham Platner is Tim Walz on steroids. An entitled brat who campaigns with socialist Bernie Sanders. A real man by the lights of the Democratic Party, he presents himself as "relatable" to working-class Americans, but in reality he's a typical elitist who believes blue-collar, hardworking, salt-of-the-earth rural Americans are stupid and racist. I couldn't care less about the comments he made about me, but they are a reflection of his character. I never thought I'd see the day when Democrats would even consider backing a candidate like this.
28 Don't forget, Platner also mocked Chris Kyle.
Posted by: Bulg
Oh I did forget that. He claimed Kyle was murdering civilians to pad his kill-count.
Update: Some say the scam isn't the disability -- it's the claim of being an "oyster farmer."
Oyster farming is not really "work," it is - as far as I can tell - either a hobby for eccentrics or a grift. I knew an oyster farmer and it seem you have to get a plot from the state - something like an allotment in UK, where you sign up and wait on a list and then pay a small fee, but then you contract out the actual, you know, farming - the digging and shit.
Posted by: bob
The Nazi Public Masturbator Who Is Sexually Aroused by the Smell of Male Feces has been attacking Susan Collins for sending him off to war. She voted for the Iraq War, he says, which resulted in this non-working Nazi being shipped off to fight in a war he never signed up for.
Of course, the Nazi Korprophiliac is lying. Collins did vote to authorize military action in Iraq, but Platner signed up for the military two years into the Iraq War, which means his claims of having been sent there against his will by Susan Collins are just more Nazi shit-aroused propaganda.
In new news, Collins points out that not only did he sign up knowing he'd be going straight to war, but additionally, he then signed up to be a mercenary in Blackwater after he was discharged by the US Military.
Now I'm using the word "mercenary" as the left uses it. I have never thought there was anything wrong with military men signing up to make a large salary doing what they had just been doing for Uncle Sam for a small salary. To me it's like giving up your amateur status in golf to accept a prize (which only declared pros can receive).
But that's the way the left sees it-- if you're a private military contractor, you're a "mercenary." And "screw them, I feel nothing," as Platner's no-doubt supporter DailyKos said of four murdered contractors.
This once again proves this Nazi feces-fanatic is lying about Collins "sending him to war." He was a private citizen with no further military obligations when he signed a private contract with a private military contracting firm. Did Susan Collins force this Nazi scum to take a signing bonus and nice salary?
People really do not appreciate how insane it is that Platner went to work for Blackwater--which had to change its name because it was so reviled due to scandal--and now is trying to pass himself off as some poor kid who was sent off to war.
No One Believes Jill Biden's "Gaslighting" Campaign -- Especially Not the Leftwing Media Operatives and Democrats Who Conspired to Cover This Up, and Now Have Pretend They Were "Fooled" by a Conspiracy They Were Always Part of
Trump has Questions about "Doctor" Jill Biden's new op:
Fox News
@FoxNews
2h
JUST IN: President Trump launches a scathing attack on Jill Biden after she admitted that she thought her husband was having a "stroke" during their infamous 2024 presidential debate.
"She said that she thought he was having a 'stroke,' and various other really bad things, and yet never rushed onto the stage to help her troubled husband, as any good wife would do."
"As many have asked, did my strong performance in that debate cause him to, plain and simple, 'choke,' leading to his ignominious defeat, or were there other reasons? Nobody else knows the answer to that, BUT I DO!!!"
Leftwing CNN reporter: Jill Biden's story is "revisionist history," Democrat sources tell me she's lying and "gaslighting" the American voters now just as she did back then.
Dasha Burns
@DashaBurns
May 28
A former senior Biden campaign advisor tells me Jill Biden's comments are "revisionist history."
"She and a handful of other close advisors around President Biden kept gaslighting us, telling those of us on the campaign we were the ones who were wrong, and that he just had a 'bad night.' I think she saw the reputational harm this caused her and is therefore taking a new position."
@playbookdc
Politico's Alex Thompson, who had some low level of credibility on this for at least permitting the question of Biden's mental fitness, before throwing it away to co-write his book "exposing" this with Dementia Denier Jake the Fake Tapper:
Alex Thompson
@AlexThomp
One former Biden official reacts to this with just: "she's lying."
Stephen L. Miller
@redsteeze
What Alex is admitting here is that a former Biden official knew Biden was senile, but did not say it at the time, and is now calling Jill Biden "bullshit" for saying it now.
Alex, do you see how much this reflects badly on you for protecting this person so you could sell books?
First Democrats (including Democrat Comms Media) covered up Biden's senility. Then they covered up the cover up by demanding the story go away and no one search for accountability except from the Five Designated Fall-Guys, Biden, "Doctor" Jill, and his three most senior co-conspirators.
Democrats are angry that "Doctor" Jill is ruining their cover-up of the cover-up:
The media is pretending it's shocked and outraged about being "tricked" into repeating the Bidens' lies to the public every week for four years -- but will a single media interviewer ask "Doctor" Jill hard questions about why she didn't immediately drive Joe to the hospital if she had "never, ever" seen this behavior "before or since" and was "frightened" that he was "having a stroke" on stage?
In fact she immediately whisked the Shambling Withered Husk off to a post-debate rally and paraded his Grim Mockery of Human Life before a crowd of horrified spectators, telling him "Joe, you did great! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!"
If the media really want to prove they're not in on the con, they'll confront her.
It's not even necessary that they get her to agree to an interview. They can just send a question to her and her PR people asking them why she left Biden on stage to die of a stroke, and report her refusal to answer the question.
But.
They.
Will.
Not.
Because "journalists" have the same interest that the Democrat Party does -- they want to smother this fire, not add oxygen to it, to grant political cover and advantage to (you'll never guess!) the Democrat Party they all vote for and belong to and scheme behind-the-scenes with.
They were on it. Period. They supported the now-acknowledged lie for as long as was physically possible and then acted shocked and offended when the lie was exposed.
They will just continue passive-aggressively shunning the Bidens, hoping they will take the hint and stop embarrasing them by exposing their own complicity in the Cheapfake Op on the American public.
Rep. Adam Smith admits Democrats covered up Biden's mental decline:
“It was very clear, you know probably a couple of years out, that Joe Biden was not going to be a credible candidate president because of his age and declining health. In my mind that’s not even debatable…” pic.twitter.com/SXysuuQYT0
Sunny Hostin praise Jill Biden how she "stands by her man" but only now admits that they at The View had personally seen how Joe Biden "faltered" and "lost his train of thought and she [Jill] will jump right in" to save him.
"But, i have to say, I'm a little disappointed in the fact that she was living with Joe Biden, she must have seen some of his decline. She must have seen it," Hostin declared.
This is about the take of the entire view-- they're all still on Team "Doctor" Jill but are disappointed she missed the signs of Biden's decline.
Nicholas Fondacaro
@NickFondacaro
1h
The View defends Jill Biden's flip-flopping about her husband's condition post-debate in a CBS interview. Without address Jill saying she thought Joe had a stroke but didn't take him to a hospital, Ana Navarro says she was being a good wife and believes what she said in the interview:
JOY BEHAR: So, why do you think she's saying this now? She didn't say it then. What do you make of this whole thing?
ANA NAVARRO: People lie after debates. Right? It's called spinning. Every time -- I have seen debates where there's clearly one candidate who has bombed and next thing you know you get the press, 'so-and-so won the debate handily.'
She's not going to going to say, 'Joe, you bombed!' You know, he was still running.
BEHAR: What would you have said if you were her?
NAVARRO: 'Joe, you did great!' I mean, if it's your husband running for president.
BEHAR: She did what she thought she was doing.
NAVARRO: I think she was doing what a political spouse and what somebody supporting her husband - at that point they didn't know he was going to continue running or not, he was still running.
I - you know, I believe her because I think -- I believe her in this interview. I think Jill Biden is a truthful person and I also think -- I suspect she's watched it a lot of times since, which is different than watching it in real time when you watch -- like we just watched it right now and both said, this is painful to watch.
Jill Biden was SO concerned her husband had a stroke during the debate she started a “4 more years” chant right after. What a power hungry sociopath. pic.twitter.com/kwpmnjVO3v
That's the fired over-the-top Democrat shill Margaret Sullivan, who was shitcanned by the Washington Post because she was so embarrassingly Yay Feminism! Yay Democrats! Yay Transgenders! that she destroyed the credibility of everyone in a two-mile radius.
Seattle's Communist Woke Wallflower Mayor Says She Refuses to Investigate Medicaid Fraud In Her City Because That Would Hurt Our Precioius Nomadic Pirates
Seattle socialist mayor will NOT investigate fraud at Somali-run daycare centers, calls it attack on immigrants
"This whole issue is not really about fraud," said Wilson. "It's about dividing and conquering. It's about making an immigrant community a target."
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said the city has no intention of investigating fraud claims in taxpayer-funded social programs, claiming the concerns are an effort to target immigrant communities rather than address legitimate financial irregularities.
In an interview with KOMO News, Wilson was asked if she had authorized the Seattle Police Department or the city's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to investigate fraud charges involving daycare providers, particularly those in Somali and other immigrant communities. The mayor responded: "No."
"This whole issue is not really about fraud," said Wilson. "It's about dividing and conquering. It's about making an immigrant community a target. There's no reason to assume based on the identity of a daycare operator that their small business is doing anything wrong."
She added that "it's problematic to have random people showing up to daycares" and emphasized that "the fear in the Somali community is real" and "the fear in immigrant communities are real," saying her administration is "taking that very seriously."
Huh, how about that. She's saying it's the Somalis who would be found responsible for defrauding the Americans living next to them and stealing from them.
And then she applies the usual Democrat Rule that Minorities Are Immune from the Law and Allowed to Steal and Kill without Consequence.
EXCLUSIVE: Former Minnesota employee reveals suspected fraud scheme of 'fake injuries' at Somali businesses
With the benefit of hindsight, Janeen Balsimo thought, "wow, so the fraud went as far as the employee was a fake employee, probably with fake injuries, because there is no people at these places."
ByDr. JC Chaix and Liz Collin
It's perhaps yet another kind of Somali fraud that we haven't heard much about, and one that may involve fake businesses, fake injuries, and fake workers' comp claims.
Janeen Balsimo retired in the fall after working as a Minnesota state employee for nearly 30 years. She joined Liz Collin on her podcast.
Balsimo spent her last years at the Department of Human Services (DHS) in the Tort Recovery Unit as a tort specialist.
She said that she wanted to blow the whistle on workers' comp cases after what she noticed the last couple of years at her job--as hindsight and the exposure of fraud throughout Minnesota provided even more perspective.
Balsimo explained how she "recovered taxpayer dollars where another party should have been paying for the bills. For instance, like auto accidents or work comp. So we would get cases from attorneys representing the client."
"And then when the case would settle, we would get paid, the attorney would get paid his fees. DHS would get paid our portion. And then the client would be awarded whatever type of injury that they had back, usually got more awards than neck or arm. So they would get anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 for their award for their injuries," Balsimo explained.
However, she noticed a strange trend emerging in her normally routine work. "About a year ago, I can remember my caseloads of Somalian cases were going way up. They were going up so much I even confided in another coworker. She had noticed it as well," Balsimo said.
She said "that's when I noticed my Somali cases, they all worked at a daycare center, an adult care center, a hospice or an autism center. And I found that really strange and they ended in the LLC because I had to keep typing it over and over and it was just really strange to me."
"Then I retired a few weeks before the Nick Shirley exposure ... and one day I was watching a video and I noticed the names of the businesses he was investigating. And they looked really familiar. Like I almost remember the name of the businesses just by typing them all the time and just dealing with them. And I could not believe it ... it all came together, Balsimo said.
"I went, oh my gosh, this was like a wow moment. These cases were probably fraudulent," she added.
Tennessee’s GOP State Government is Subsidizing the Relocation of Cultural Adversary Starbucks; How Did TN Leaders Promise $30M that Hadn’t Yet Been Approved in a Public Forum?
—Buck Throckmorton
I dislike corporate welfare in general. I passionately dislike corporate welfare for corporations fleeing anti-business blue states, because the economic freedom in the states they flee to is their financial incentive. But a red state offering corporate welfare to a woke corporation fleeing the nest it soiled absolutely enrages me.
Starbucks is relocating a significant portion of its operations from the communist carnival of Seattle to the state of Tennessee, which is paying Starbucks to bring its radical political agenda and employees to the conservative state. Thanks to Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee State Funding Board, $30 million dollars is being redistributed from Tennessee taxpayers to the left-wing coffee purveyor. Unlike some corporate welfare, this isn’t even comprised of tax incentives. It is an 8-figure cash payment from the state to a corporation whose executives have shown nothing but spitting contempt for the values of the state it is relocating to.
Tennessee’s State Funding Board approved the $30 million payout during a meeting on May 20. State incentives would cover an average of $15,000 per job created.
I know plenty of Tennessee small business owners who could hire more actual Tennesseans if the first $15,000 of salary was subsidized by the state. How obscene is it that a small manufacturing plant in Murfreesboro, staffed by patriotic Christians, doesn’t get a dime in assistance when it expands and hires more employees, but a corporation like Starbucks that is openly contemptuous of Tennessee’s conservative values is getting paid to colonize the state with its woke agenda?
During the announcement, Gov. Bill Lee touted the state’s “fiscally conservative approach to business.”
If taking money from taxpayers and giving it to an activist left-wing corporation is a “fiscally conservative approach to business,” what might be considered fiscally irresponsible?
How woke is Starbucks? As documented in Unherd, “Like so many companies, the coffee giant was swept up in the political maelstrom of 2020 and 2021. It pledged $100 million for businesses focused on “advancing racial equity”. It allowed employees to wear activist clothing and accessories to work, provided that the clothing supported the Black Lives Matter movement. In many Starbucks stores, June Pride Month celebrations went from discreet lapel pins to wall-covering shrines.”
So Tennessee is reimbursing Starbucks $30 million of the $100 million the company shelled out to “advance racial equity.” Some Tennessee politicians are not happy about this, including U.S. Rep. John Rose, a Republican candidate to replace (term-limited) Bill Lee as governor. He called the Starbucks incentive "corporate welfare" that is "beyond the pale." Marsha Blackburn is the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s Republican gubernatorial primary, but she has not yet commented on the Starbucks payout. I recommend that she gets on the right side of this issue quickly. If not, John Rose may gain some traction.
A ray of hope is that many Starbucks employees don’t want to leave the comfort of the asylum they call home.
Starbucks office workers are reportedly balking at orders to relocate to the company’s new $100 million Nashville hub, with some left-leaning workers repulsed by the prospect of living and working in the capital of deep-red Tennessee.
The java giant has been struggling to persuade employees to move from Seattle — even after warning some they could lose their jobs if they refuse, Bloomberg News reported.
As I was typing this piece, I just noticed something significant that I had previously missed. Something stinks:
• Starbucks announced its new Tennessee operation in mid-April, and the employee ultimatums regarding relocation also occurred in April.
• It was several weeks later, on May 11, that the Tennessee State Funding Board issued a public notice of the upcoming May 20 meeting to vote on the $30 million handout. Public comment was limited to the day of the meeting, May 20. This was now a full month after Starbucks announced its Tennessee plans.
• If the state had not already committed the $30 million, the Funding Board could have simply voted “No” and it wouldn’t have made any difference, since Starbucks had already committed to the new Tennessee operation.
• If this was just a vote to formalize a previously agreed upon commitment of the $30 million, then how does this comport with the Tennessee Open Meeting Act. How did Governor Lee know he could promise a $30 million incentive to Starbucks if it hadn’t yet been debated in a forum open to the public?
I am not accusing the five members of the Tennessee State Funding Board of doing anything illegal. To the contrary, I am sure they have very good counsel who ensured that what they did is technically in accordance with state law. But that doesn’t make it right.
The Tennessee State Funding Board has five members entrusted with the authority and wisdom to redistribute money from taxpayers to corporate welfare recipients. Those members are:
1) Governor Bill Lee
2) Treasurer David Lillard
3) Comptroller Jason Mumpower
4) Finance & Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson
5) Secretary of State Tre Hargett
Perhaps if there is enough public revulsion from Tennessee taxpayers, these vulgar and unnecessary handouts to woke corporations will stop.
Good morning kids. Supposedly a "deal" of some sort is in the works or on the verge of being reached with the regime in Tehran to end hostilities. As I have stated repeatedly, I have the greatest respect and admiration for President Trump, but I cannot imagine any agreement that they would ever agree to that removes the hardline Islamic elements from power, even partially let alone completely. It is they who have terrorized and brutalized their own people and spilled rivers of blood all over the world in the cause of Islamic global conquest, quite a bit of it American, over the past 47 years thanks to the complicity/idiocy of Jimmy Carter in helping unleash the Mullahs on the world. And in that time allowing them to nearly develop a functioning nuclear weapon by stockpiling tons of enriched uranium and perfecting long range missiles that for now threaten the region but perhaps can soon reach much farther. Were it not for Israel's and America's military and covert operations to thwart all of that with Epic Fury and the IDF and ongoing Mossad's campaign
of liquidating Iranian scientists, an Iranian mushroom cloud might well have vaporized Tel Aviv, Dubai, Riyadh or Vatican City or even London or Washington DC by now.
There is no alternative than the absolute and unconditional surrender of the Mullahs. If not, then the aforementioned nightmare scenario might one day become a reality. Who could have ever imagined 9/11 until it happened? There is no doubt in my mind that had Bin Laden have nukes, NYC and DC would be a radioactive dead zone.
On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said that the proposed agreement with Iran is “a surrender document.” And we appear to be “negotiating America’s unconditional surrender to Iran.” . . . because there’s literally no other option. Unless he wants to take over the whole country, because that actually would achieve regime change, it would end their nuclear program, it would reopen the strait. But you’re talking about using 300,000 Americans for a country that’s twice the size and population of Iraq. I don’t think even Ranger Pete Hegseth wants that. So the only other option is to sit down at the table and actually have a negotiation. Let’s just be honest, though, he’s not only lost the war, he’s losing the negotiation as well.”. . But, short of taking over Iran, “there’s literally no other option.” . . . Later, Moulton said that Trump “has a hope and a prayer that he might get some semblance of the nuclear deal that Obama handed to him.”
This mealy-(semen-encusted) mouthed scumbag finally lets slip what he and the traitorous bastards of the Democrat/Left want: America defeated/humiliated/destroyed and Iran to actually get an atomic weapon which is what Obama and his cohorts were nearly successful in delivering. The JCPOA along with billons in palletized cash sent to Iran during his 8 year reign of error got them very close to achieving nuclear capability.
Police reportedly responded to a call alleging the sound of gunshots had been heard at Barrett’s home, according to the same audio, which was shared on X by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden. In the audio, the dispatcher indicates police units are responding to “the suspicious noise” at a residence that has “24-hour security coverage for a high-priority resident of the county.”
Chris Rabb, a Pennsylvania House candidate backed by the "Squad" and other far-left figures, once called for the death penalty for corporate CEOs, whom he likened to "gang leaders." His words mirror increasingly violent rhetoric from the left directed at business leaders. In a 2005 blog post, Rabb said executives "should fry," citing a report that 300 CEOs were paid salaries and bonuses totaling $12 billion.
On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said that the proposed agreement with Iran is “a surrender document.” And we appear to be “negotiating America’s unconditional surrender to Iran.” But, short of taking over Iran, “there’s literally no other option.” Moulton: ‘No Other Option’ But ‘Negotiating America’s Unconditional Surrender to Iran’
CIVIL WAR 2.0, LEFTIST PERSECUTIONS, DEMOCRAT PUTSCH, AMERICAN DISSOLUTION
Police reportedly responded to a call alleging the sound of gunshots had been heard at Barrett’s home, according to the same audio, which was shared on X by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden. In the audio, the dispatcher indicates police units are responding to “the suspicious noise” at a residence that has “24-hour security coverage for a high-priority resident of the county.” Conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Reportedly ‘Swatted’
Chandee was facing imminent deportation until Governor Walz intervened. The decision to pardon Vang underscores Walz’s repeated willingness to block the deportation of violent criminals, consistently jeopardizing public safety and undermining law enforcement. Walz Pardons Criminal Alien to Sabotage Deportation.
‘It is standard practice for immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens to assert that virtually every illegal alien is going to be persecuted or tortured in his or her home country.’ Trump Admin Targets Big Immigration’s Legal Industrial Complex
Robert Spencer: The purpose of making fanciful claims such as the one this woman makes is to stymie efforts to resist Sharia or end Muslim migration into the U.S. It is there home, it has always been their home, and Sharia is as American as apple pie. . . What One Illinois Speaker Said About Islam and America Has People Talking
The charge that Jews cannot be trusted to give their allegiance to the state goes back 2000 years. Dual Loyalty?
Victor Davis Hanson: The medieval-style massacre of 1,200 Jews in their homes on Oct. 7, during a time of peace, should have increased awareness of the existential dangers Israel faced. Instead, it spawned a storm of antisemitism. Israel-haters’ selective outrage exposes the hypocrisy of their lies
FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, MEDIA, BIG BROTHER TECH
According to the leftist media, every move that President Trump makes must be likened to any other act of evil or brutality that was ever recorded in history, no matter how ridiculous the comparison. Lawrence O’Donnell, host of The Last Word on the failing network MS NOW, followed this rule without hesitation on his Wednesday night broadcast. O’Donnell claimed, laughably, that “Donald Trump is desecrating the White House grounds to build a temple of violence,” as if Trump was some kind of Roman emperor. MS NSDAP Decries Trump's ‘Temple of Violence’ on White House Grounds
As government deficit spending diminishes economic growth, it pushes the nation’s economic output, the GDP, well below its potential. National Debt Reaches a Scary Milestone
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, DEMOCRAT-LEFT WAR ON FOSSIL FUELS,
The decision allows the President’s executive order to remain in effect, potentially affecting mail-in voting processes during state primaries. The lawfare battle over election integrity is set to continue in Boston, Massachusetts, where the coalition of left-wing groups are pursuing a different lawsuit via the federal court. Judge Refuses to Block Trump Order on Mail-In Voting.
Jeffries apparently meant to celebrate the fact that the Knicks had made the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, but instead, he got blasted for the pandering social media post because many Internet users felt that the photo appeared to have been altered in Photoshop to eliminate some of the 55-year-old politician’s wrinkles and changed the shape of his face to make him look younger, the New York Post reported. Hakeem Jeffries Mocked for Posting ‘Bizarre’ Facetuned Image of Himself in Knicks Hat
Californians have had the rare opportunity to hear two Democrats “expose” each other -- though often for the wrong reasons. Steyer vs. Becerra: California Screamin’
Just let Talarico keep playing to the woke coastal types who are more concerned with pronouns than whether Iran has nukes. If Paxton features a lot of that stuff in his campaign ads, even the most ardent Cornyn fans will probably find plenty of motivation to vote. James Talarico Is Playing to a National Audience That Won't Be Voting for Him
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL
The designations impose onerous sanctions on the gangs and their members, block them from keeping their assets in the United States or freeze assets already in the country, and make it illegal for American citizens to offer material support to them. In a statement on Thursday, the State Department explained that the PCC and Red Command pose a significant security threat both in Brazil and internationally and engage in violent narco-terrorism throughout South America, meriting the designation. Exclusive — U.S. State Department to Designate Brazil’s Top Criminal Gangs as Terrorist Groups
THE UKRAINIAN "FRONT"
Residents of Narva, NATO’s easternmost city, gathered along a promenade beneath a medieval Estonian castle May 9. But with their backs turned toward the European Union — Ukrainian and Estonian flags hanging from the fortress walls — the crowd’s attention was fixed across the river border on a bright display of Russian spectacle. Inside Russia’s Propaganda War In NATO’s Easternmost City
DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY AFFAIRS
The news comes amid U.S. strikes on Iran as President Donald Trump works to secure a peace deal and as Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) recently said Iran targets the U.S. every day via cyberattacks, according to Breitbart News. Report: Adversaries Target U.S. Military in War Zones by Using App Location Data
Fred Fleitz: Cutting the ODNI was only a start; lasting reform requires abolishing it outright and restoring CIA leadership of U.S. intelligence. (consider the next link before making that statement! - jjs) The Next DNI Must Finish the Job and Eliminate the ODNI
AMERICA AND THE WORLD IMPRISONED: CHINESE+Fauci-created CORONAVIRUS FICTIONS AND FACTS
The ban is likely to improve the health of farmworkers and those living close to farms. Studies as far back as the 1980s have shown that farmworkers are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as non-farmworkers. The ban will likely increase pressure on federal regulators to reassess the pesticide’s safety at the national level. Despite the state-wide ban in Vermont, the pesticide remains one of the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. State Bans Pesticide Linked to Parkinson’s Disease.
“Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” Tedros wrote in a message published on social media. “Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.” W.H.O. Chief Tedros: Ebola Contact Tracing in DR Congo ‘Nearly Impossible’
During a static fire test of the first stage tonight in preparation for the next launch scheduled for June 4), Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded just as the test began, destroying the first stage and much of the only launchpad the company has to launch this rocket. Blue Origin’s next New Glenn rocket explodes during static fire test on the launchpad
Just 66 percent of men age 20 and older were employed or actively seeking work as of April, according to data released earlier this month by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure has dropped sharply from 73 percent in 2006 and now sits near levels last seen during the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. One in Three American Men No Longer Working (how many are native born and not wetback invaders? - jjs)
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
Howdy Hordelings! So -- nowhere else you'd rather be than the Thursday night ONT, eh? Then let's go to it! Content provided for those who care. Open thread, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?
Anime conventions can get pretty wild, but when’s the last time you attended an event where cosplay models were selling actual “foot juice”, as in fruit juice from plastic buckets in which they had dipped their feet? Despite the product’s unconventional nature, the $10-15 price tag wasn’t enough to deter potential clients, and according to multiple reports, the foot juice sold out in less than an hour.
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Photos and videos from Parkon 2026 show young girls in cosplay holding up signs with foot juice offers while having their naked feet dipped in juice, and some even offering to let customers drink the juice dripping directly from their wet feet.
Yup - it's real. Go ahead and check out the video at the link.
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Haven't linked to STREET ART UTOPIA in a while. Seems like as good a night as any!
DJ Doof - This Date In Music History Edition
from thisdayinmusic.com
On this date in 1977: Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers played together for the first time in Paris, as part of the band Strontium 90 (with Mike Howlett). The three musicians would go on to form The Police that summer.
On this date in 1996: Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. The singer was later arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin.
On this date in 1983: The four day US Festival '83' took place in California, featuring The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson. INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival.
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by anesthesia
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Doof Enterprises, LLC hopes you appreciate the effort that went into tonight's ONT. It might not have been a lot, but can you give an A for, eff... - ah, nevermind.
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
Judge Clears Way for Trump to Tighten Verification for Mail-In Votes; Scott Bessent Touts New IRS Rules to Identify Antifa's Funders; OMB Director Russ Vought Acts to Make Sure That Federal Grants Go to US Citizens Not Foreigners and Illegal Aliens
—Disinformation Expert Ace
A lot of #Winning.
Democrats actually opposed Trump's rules to tighten verification of mail-in votes by saying that if voter names were checked against lists of US citizens, Democrat voters would be barred from voting.
Yes. Yes they will.
That is the point. Your llegal alien hordes are not allowed to vote and they should be disqualified from voting.
But hey, you say this Never Ever Happens, so this should have no effect on Democrat vote totals.
Right?
The Democrats pretended they were worried about "inaccurate" citizenship lists but we all know they're terrified of accurate ones.
Besides, the judge ruled: Every single federal requirement is subject to some error in implementation but we don't rule them all unconstitutional, given that people have the right to appeal and have errors corrected.
Duh.
A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to implement his executive order tightening mail-in voting, slapping down Democrats' arguments for now that federal efforts to police voter rolls with citizenship checks was illegal.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointed jurist, ruled that Democrats failed to show they have standing at present to challenge the order or have suffered any harm that would warrant a preliminary injunction.
You'll love this: He ruled the Democrats had no standing to challenge the rules. They could establish no "harm" to themselves.
Nichols rejected several of the Democrats' arguments that Trump's executive order could disenfranchise millions of voters, including that creating state-by-state citizenship lists to check voter rolls would somehow be harmful, even if they were inaccurate.
...
The judge also rejected the notion that the federal government sending information to the states about voters would somehow violate voters' privacy.
"Plaintiffs fail to demonstrate that such action--that is, the sharing of name, age, and residence information between and among government agencies, if already known to the federal government--would cause a harm sufficient to establish Article III standing," he ruled.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday highlighted changes to IRS reporting policy that would help the federal government identify the funding sources for Antifa.
The organization has faced considerable scrutiny in recent years amid its repeated civil disturbances and involvement in anti-law enforcement activities. Speaking from the White House, Bessent pointed to a change in policy that would require non-profits to identify their grant recipients.
The grant-subgrant system is set up to disguise Democrat money-laundering. Terrorists have members called "cleanskins" -- terrorists who have no known criminal record or association with terrorists. These "clean skins" are used to infiltrate organizations and pull levers in favor of terrorists.
(Note a "cleanskin" can also refer to an undercover cop who has no publicly-known association with cops, so he can be infiltrated into a criminal group.)
Likewise, Democrats have "cleanskin" NGOs that they can pour US taxpayer money into. And then these "clean" NGOs donate to dirty NGOs and straight up terrorist organizations -- or Chinese covid labs adding furin cleavage sites to viruses.
The Grantee/Subgrantee system is designed precisely so that Democrats can divert taxpayer money to illegal/antiamerican/pure Democrat pillager groups. They money is given to the "clean skin" NGOs, who then immediately send the money off to where it was always intended to go, the "dirty skin" groups.
Secretary Bessent tells me the FBI and Treasury Department will have "a lot to report" on their investigation into the funding of Antifa. He says their findings will come in the weeks and months ahead. pic.twitter.com/CTSKp06AHw
Unbelievably, there was no citizenship requirement for receiving US federal grants.
Now there is:
BREAKING: Russ Vought at OMB has just overhauled $1 TRILLION in federal grants by adding: Strict E-Verify requirements, English-language rules, and political appointee oversight to ensure taxpayer dollars go to American citizens first.
The ULA rocket just launched Thanks to Joyenz The rocket's enormous engines are fueled by "the volcanic heterosexual lust between James Talarico and his Neighbor With a Uterus 'girlfriend'" I hope Amazon's rocket works better than the Amazon Prime app does as far as allowing people to watch the black and white version of "Spider-Noir"
From the CA Post:
Spencer Pratt is now Karen Bass' biggest headache.
A bombshell California Post poll conducted with McLaughlin & Associates shows the reality TV star-turned-mayoral candidate has surged to a statistical tie with the incumbent mayor.
And voters blame homelessness, affordability and the direction of Los Angeles as the reason for turning on Bass.
Pratt now leads the field with 30.1% support, compared with 29.5% for Bass, setting up a razor-thin race heading into next week's primary.
Socialist councilwoman Nithya Raman sits in third place at 23.4%.
Thanks to beckster
Just like "Spartacus" Corey Booker, now that James Talarico is running for a higher office, he unveils his previously-unknown "girlfriend" and hooboy, it just so happens she used to work for him, and, get this, likes to "dance the night away" at gay bars Gee I wonder where they might have met Oh and she's a vegan
When Corey Booker needed a "girlfriend," he conjured up known LGBTQ activist Rosario Dawson. How convenient that when these guys need a girlfriend to show off to the normies that just happen to find an activist with a strong history of and interest in Supporting Gay Men But seriously, this James Talarico romance with a Neighbor with a Uterus is a love story for the ages. The passion of their lovemaking is hotter than a blue star with a core of Primordial Sex Atoms created in the Big Bang
Radicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in our country.
He's referring to three mass attacks committed by white men in, oh, the past six or eight years. There were a huge number of mass shootings and bombings he had to skip over to cherry pick three committed by white men. Which kind of makes me think that "white men" are not the greatest terrorist threat in our country.
No, I doubt he'll be a guest on Tucker Carlson. The only thing that Tucker clings to that he claims makes him "conservative" is a palpable hatred of gays. Any time there's a communist enslaving their population and executing dissenters and conservatives, Tucker praises that dictator by saying "at least he represses the homos!"
Podcast: CBD and J.J. Sefton discuss the newest iteration of the Iranian negotiations, with the hope that the President will stick to his guns and get rid of the nuclear material, Minneapolis mayor Frey is scum, and an idiot, Artificial Intelligence, and more!
Polls close in Texas at 7pm local (8pm for the East Coast). Vote the RINO out.
Those of you who are longtime Not Watchers of Stephen Colbert will not enjoy this flashback of Colbert dancing with Chuck Schumer while wearing ostentatious covid masks
Rush Limbaugh was an innovator in so many ways, including being among the first to not watch Stephen Colbert
DNI Tulsi Gabbard tenders her resignation for June 30, says her husband has been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer and she will have to help him through this
Podcast: CBD and Jim Lakely of The Heartland Institute chat about Heartland's two recent discussions: The affordability crisis in America, and The UN retreating from their most maniacal climate projections. Along the way we talk Democrat insanity and the changing electoral map...and more!
After threatening that the "clock is ticking" for renewed strikes on Iran, Trump once again calls them off to give negotiating a chance. I can't even cover this any more. It's embarrassing. It's like covering the endless negotiations over DHS funding. Trump is going to drag this out through the midterms and then lose them.
Note to the president: At some point, allowing the Regime to remain in power without actually forcing them to give up nukes is just a back-door, unacknowledged renewal of the Obama policy. Well, I guess we just have to wait for their economy to collapse and their troops to desert.
