malada

So we're actually going to accept the Qatari 747 that's been described at a 'Flying Palace' as a grift, I mean, gift?

It's a hanger queen.

It's sat unused for 5 years. Has it been maintained? Can it even fly?

Don't know!

So, yeah... the cost to actually get that thing approved and airworthy? Unknown!

The cost to strip it down and make it the flying command post that is what Air Force One is supposed to be? Millions and millions!

tRump just wants to ride around in style, you know? In a couple of months it will be ready, he says.

Yeah, no. Unless he doesn't care or believe he needs the extra protection he already has with the present Air Force One.

Maybe the Qatar knows this and hopes that he'll get blown out of the sky? Eh, don't think so. They know where their bread is butter and tRump is a dope who can be bribed by shiny things that they don't want and apparently, nobody else does. .

The leopards eat your face,
The leopards eat your face,
Hi-Ho, you're chewy-oh!
The leopards eat your face.

You voted for the Don,
You voted for the Don,
Hi-Ho, you're chewy-oh!
You voted for the Don.

You bought into the con,
You bought into the con,
Hi-Ho, you're chewy-oh!
You bought into the con.

You're really screwed you know,
You're really screwed you know,
Hi-Ho, you're chewy-oh!
You're really screwed you know.

The leopards eat your face,
The leopards eat your face,
Hi-Ho, you're chewy-oh!
The leopards eat your face.

I don't think we had as many people as two weeks ago but it was on a main street and we got a lot of honks and thumbs up. Good weather, good crowd. I even saw the sign "My arms are tired."

No photos, but a new icon. I stand with Greenland

To our old allies, I have a few words:

The United States is sick.

America has turned into the Sick Old Man: cranky, mean, losing it's memory. It is looking back at an imagined Golden (Gilded?) Age when Rich White Men were Rich White Men, women stayed in the kitchen (and worked) and brown people either didn't exist or were happy just to step and fetch.

America is no longer the beacon of freedom but a cesspool of corruption, greed and lies. We're sleeping with the autocrats and dictators and waking up with delusions.

You can't rely on us.

You're going to have to put on your adult pants and figure out how to move forward towards liberty and justice without us. For many of us Americans, we're at the bedside trying to nurse our country back to health but like a drunkard recovering from a car crash, there's been a lot of damage done and they still want another bottle and the keys to another car.

I can't say how long the sickness will last. Maybe after the leopards have eaten enough faces will the fever break. In the meantime, good luck.

After raging about how terrible electric cars are, it looks like tRump's state department is buying 400 million dollars worth of 'armored Teslas'.

The jokes, they write themselves.

Note to stupid people: electric cars are designed to be lighter than internal combustion vehicles. Armoring them would seriously degrade their performance. And I'm not sure what happens when lithium ion batteries get peppered with bullets but I'm betting it's no a good thing.

Safe prediction: none of these vehicles will see any combat. They'll be jazzed up a little bit - maybe a coat of camo paint - and used tRump's toadies to zoom around in.

All to line Elon's pocket with tax payer's money.

The Rump is holding his inauguration inside because of the very cold weather coming his way.

Maybe.

You know hos much the Don-OLD loves to stiff people. Outdoor venue is not being used so he can stiff them. The indoor venue will be much smaller so all those who paid through the nose for seating will get stiffed. A smaller inaugural means more money for Don-OLD and the more people he can stiff.

Just sayin'.

To the world and especially Ukraine, I'd like to apologize for the re-election of Donald Trump.

The fight against fascism goes on and on.

I'm not exactly sure what inspired this thought but looking at Trump's VP pick, I'm getting more that a little worried.

First, he has the integrity of a Boeing 737 Max. At one time he hated Trump - now he's his best toadie. Trump is old... really old, so he can't last forever. As Trump's VP choice, he's gone from "J.D. who?" to "Heartbeat away from possibly being President."

Even if the Orange Oligarch fails to win the election Vance may be next in line to inherit the Republican party (what's left of it.) Vance is young, educated, will turn on a dime for power. He'll most likely have the support of his fellow tech bros, the Fascist... I mean, the the Federalist Society and all the billionaires who keep Trump propped up. If Vance waves the right red meat when Trump shuffles off this mortal coil, he may capture the MAGATs and remain a force in right wing politics.

If he could just get over this couch thing.

NPR had a brief excerpt of Trump saying that he will be "the president of all Americans" to which I turned to the radio and said

Fuck you!
Fuck you!
Fuck you!

He cheated on all four of his wives, stiffed countless contractors, cheated investors, lied about his wealth, handled the COVID pandemic by saying 'it will go away' or suggested we inject bleach, disrespected our fallen soldiers, stole from a charity, set up a fake school, supports the fascist take over of the government with Project 2025... the list goes on and on.

I hope he strokes out at his next rally... and I hope most of his followers do likewise.

I've been hearing reports in the media that there's a ground surge of people just begging Biden to drop out of the race due to a bad first debate.

In the debate he was an old man who had a cold and over-prepared himself. According to the pundits, he looked weak. Trump effortlessly spouted lies that made him look strong.

Let's look at the facts;

Biden is a good man with a stellar reputation as a legislator and a politician. He's brought down inflation, helped curb COVID, respects labor, brought down unemployment and loves his wife. He had a bad night.

Trump is a lying crook with a string of bankruptcies, failed businesses and sketchy bank loans. During his presidency he gave tax cuts to the least deserving: increasing the deficit, told people to inject bleach to cure COVID, stiffed his workers, his contractors, his lawyers. He's cheated on ALL of this four wives and incited an insurrection.

Finding a replacement for Biden months before the election would be tricky, time consuming and off-putting. Without a super strong candidate ready to go the Democratic campaign would fall into chaos. That's just the facts. Since the debate Biden has been on the trail doing what he does best: connecting with people one on one and in small groups. He's respecting picket lines. He admits he doesn't always speak well and isn't as strong as he used to be, but he's still a good man with years of work left in him.

Trump is bloviating before semi-adoring, growing smaller crowds spouting nonsense and falsehoods. That's the facts.

I've got my shades on and I'm ridin' with Biden. Stay calm. Point out that Biden may be old but he's a good man with talented people: his cabinet and Kamala Harris, backing him. Trump is old AND evil with a bunch of fascists, crooks and liars behind him.

That's the facts.