Worth reading in full. https://asharangappa.substack.com/p/statement-from-the-american-bar-association
Congratulations, non-billionaire Americans: You're f***ed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/business/vought-cfpb-musk-trump.html
I hope that the reduction in the price of eggs--which has not happened at all; quite the opposite, in fact--is worth the massive blows that have been inflicted to American power and American security.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/02/09/usaid-worker-details-dangers-chaos-00203104
We are in a full constitutional crisis, and on the precipice of becoming an outright dictatorship. The people responsible for making this possible with their votes should never, ever, EVER be forgiven--either by people still living, or by future generations.
https://www.propublica.org/article/usaid-trump-musk-destruction-may-have-broken-law
I was born in Philadelphia, so one might think that it would be easy for me to root for Philly sports teams in games that don't impact Chicago sports teams in any way. But the truth is that I find Philly's sports fans, as a group, so objectionable in their behavior that I actually usually make it a point to root against Philly teams when I can. (Individual Philly fans can be, and sometimes even are, very nice people.)
But Patrick Mahomes has a wife and a bunch of friends who are apparently Trump supporters. And when the Eagles won the Super Bowl during Trump's first term, a number of players refused the invite to the White House (causing Trump to disinvite the entire team like the petty jackass that he is), and one can reasonably hope that they will do so again if they win this year. Finally, Jill Biden is a Philly gal, and Joe Biden always makes sure to root for the Eagles, lest he finds himself sleeping on the couch.
As such: Fly Eagles, fly. And I hope Kendrick Lamar forgets about his beef with Drake and starts one with Trump tonight.
As in his first term, Donald Trump is perfectly fine with killing you and yours. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/02/08/nih-cuts-billions-dollars-biomedical-funding-effective-immediately/
RFK Jr. is on his way to being HHS secretary, Tulsi Gabbard is likely going to be our next director of national intelligence, and even Kash Patel looks like he is likely to be confirmed as our very own national Inspector Javert--only with even less charm, if you can believe it.
I would ask if the low egg prices are worth it, but egg prices have skyrocketed, so, to paraphrase Dire Straits, we are getting morons for nothing and autocracy for free.
And now, for "The Brutalist," which, strangely enough, has nothing to do with the God-awful political events of the past week.
I just read that there are those who are callings Elon Musk's vehicles "swasticars," and I am kicking myself for not having thought of the idea myself.
We are supposed to believe that our new secretary of defense is the product of a pure and laudable meritocracy, while also believing that our prior secretary of defense was nothing more than "a DEI hire."
Hard pass on that stupid argument.
The duty of the opposition is to oppose. And the duty of the opposition to Donald Trump is to turn his presidency into an abject failure.
The success of America depends on it.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-to-stop-trump-in-one-stupid-chart
Between the pardon of the January 6th terrorists and Elon Musk letting his Nazi freak flag fly unashamedly, how long before we get Brownshirts for Trump, dedicated to terrorizing any and all opponents of Agolf Twitler?
A host of intensely stupid people—or, at the very least, people pretending to be intensely stupid—got their panties in a bunch this morning when Joe Biden, not being an idiot, decided to give preemptive pardons to a host of people who likely would have been targets of vindictive prosecutions by the Trump Justice Department. The recipients of these pardons included Biden family members, who very likely would have borne the brunt of those vindictive prosecutions. No one ought to be happy that preemptive pardons have become a thing, but the thing that intensely stupid people—and those just pretending to be intensely stupid—appear not to understand, or want to understand, is that preemptive pardons did not become a thing because Joe Biden was somehow corrupt. Rather, they became a thing because Donald Trump promised to use the Justice Department to retaliate against political opponents, solely and exclusively because they are political opponents. Only an unfeeling moron would leave those people to the tender mercies of the Trump Justice Department, and because Joe Biden isn’t, and never was an unfeeling moron, he issued preemptive pardons. He was entirely right to do so.
Of course, if the pearl-clutchers who made a show of losing their fertilizer over the Biden pardons really want something to get mad about, they can get mad about the fact that Trump decided to pardon over 1,500 people involved in the January 6th terrorist attack on the Capitol, including violent protestors who assaulted police officers.
This from the so-called president who would give us “law and order.”
Political violence has now been normalized, and will be used again in the future, with terrorists confident that Trump or some future MAGA president will pardon those terrorists, as long as their terrorism was carried out on behalf of Trump and the MAGA movement. We are now no different from any other country where the sanctification of political violence and terrorism is part and parcel of the civic discourse.
I hope that all of the lunatics and jackasses who whined incessantly about egg and gas prices, and who elected a president who will do precisely nothing whatsoever about reducing prices, are happy with the havoc and chaos that they have inflicted on this country. I hope that God never forgives them, because I sure as s*** will not.
I did not watch the inauguration ceremonies, reinstalling as president the most despicable person-resembling-thing to ever hold the office, but from what I gather on social media, our new a**hole-in-chief has stated the following:
1. America is in decline (a lie);
2. America’s “golden age” will begin now that Trump is president (a *laughable* lie);
3. God spared Trump from assassination so that he could lead America (an especially *presumptuous* lie, injected with so much of a messiah complex as to make any decent person vomit);
4. Trump has been tested more than any American president in history (FDR, Lincoln, Washington and—yes—Joe Biden would all like to have a word);
5. The fact that people in LA lost homes due to the fires is “interesting” (only a genuine d*ck says something so utterly insensitive);
6. Millions of migrants are responsible for record amounts of crime (migrants are more law-abiding than natural-born Americans, and crime is down since the end of the *last* misbegotten Trump administration).
There was, I am sure, so much more bulls**t than this listing, but this listing suffices to remind all of us—as if any, save idiotic Trumpenvolk (but I repeat myself), need reminders—that the new administration will be horrid, perpetually dishonest, vastly corrupt, and entirely dedicated to dividing the country.
If you voted for this miasma of crap, then it is entirely safe to say that you are what you voted for. And then some. And it is *also* safe to say that America and the world would be better off if you were never born.
As a final note, the Proud Boys are out parading in the streets of DC today. And why not? They have their führer back, as do all other Trump supporters.
We f***ing beat the Packers?!
Summary of 2024: Lost my gallbladder, watched Chicago sports teams lose like losing was going out of style, lost my country—again—to Trumpenvolk horses***.
On the upside, I went an entire holiday season without once having had to hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is (Pathetic, Pitiful, Not Worth a Damned Thing) You” in a Starbucks, so I guess that is something.
I trust that my gallbladder will get a pretty lady to kiss it at midnight. The thing had rizz.
Currently in the theater watching "Kraven the Hunter." This movie is beyond terrible. Unimaginative plot, lousy acting and quite possibly the worst dialogue I have ever encountered. I bought a ticket because I am a sucker for Marvel movies, but this is even worse than "Madame Web," and "Madame Web" was a wretched movie. When I read the online reviews, I tried to get a refund so that I could go watch "Nosferatu" instead, but Fandango would not let me, and now, for my many sins, my eyeballs are being annihilated by this movie.
Just to emphasize just how awful this flick is, the opening music is Basil Polydouris's theme from "The Hunt for Red October," MUSIC WHOSE LYRICS ARE ABOUT A SHIP THAT IS LEAVING FOR A VOYAGE, AND IS PLAYING WHILE THIS CRAPPY MOVIE SHOWS ACTION ENTIRELY ON DRY LAND. I mean, technically, I suppose that one could say that both movies are about hunting, but that would be pushing it. Also, the title character is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Pietro Maximoff in "Age of Ultron." I know that Chris Evans played two Marvel roles, but how much more recycling will this movie engage in? I am surprised that Russell Crowe's role isn't being played by Robert Downey Jr.
Avoid this waste of a movie at all costs. Learn from my mistakes, people.
And now, for "Gladiator II."
I hope I will be entertained.
I am thankful that Donald Trump is morbidly obese.
I would be even more thankful if the natural consequences of morbid obesity would manifest themselves at some goddamned point.