Always Question the Source

As we sit on the precipice of 2026, we need to keep in mind that many of the sources from which we get our news are hand-forming the information to fit the mold they want (or are told) to present. We can see the obvious ones, like the mess that has become CBS, killing a damning report on ICE deportations to torture prisons. But many others are much more subtle and are only revealed through questioning.

Take this article from yesterday’s Baltimore Sun:

Right off the bat, they use a Fox “News” ask/answer setup in the headline. Also note that the byline is from someone at the Sinclair National Desk. The primary owner of the conservative Sinclair media network bought The Sun last year and has given it an obvious Republican bent.

Rather than addressing the legality of these strikes, they’re playing up the recruitment potential. Doesn’t that say a lot about those recruits for whom this is enticing? Yay, they get to make things go “boom,” just like in their video games.

From the article: “Some experts say the missions showcase a clear purpose, limited scope, and decisive action-qualities that they believe resonate with young Americans considering military service.” “Some experts?” Who, I wonder. They answer in the next line:

“According to Dan Green, research fellow at the Heritage Institute…” Say no more. They get a hack from the right-wing Heritage Foundation, backer/creator of Republican policies and talking points, to shill for the Administration.

Later, they refer to unclear stats to bolster the claim. “(all branches) have reported meeting or exceeding their recruiting goals.” What were the goals? Where was the bend in recruiting numbers? And more importantly, might the goals have been lowered? That’s the easiest way to make your numbers in a tough environment… lower the bar. They want you to assume a level playing field, but when has this Administration ever used a deck they hadn‘t stacked? Without the numbers, their claim of bolstered recruitment due to these war games is meaningless.

And if it was effective, look who they’re getting… dudes who want to sit in a basement and blow shit up from afar. I think they’d better lower their physical and mental standards if they want any of these schmucks to make it out of basic training.

The Heritage “expert” goes on to rattle off a list of Republican talking points as reasons prior recruitment was low: mandatory COVID vaccines, DEI initiatives, and the botched (Trump-designed) withdrawal from Afghanistan. All of these “issues” are highly debatable as to being a drag on recruitment, but they’re listed as unchallenged proof in the article.

If this is what mainstream media now offers for basic news coverage, we will need to be especially vigilant in how we interpret what we read.

I’m fortunate that in college, I learned a great deal about the business of media and how to spot the biases within. Future generations may not have that opportunity, and conservatives are working to make it that way, with their ongoing war on education:

The list doesn’t even mention the constant denigration of colleges, students, and professors, and the use of withholding funds as a lever to bend the apparatus of higher learning to their will. All of these factors are undeniably true; they’re part of public Republican statements and actions. And they only make sense when grouped under the banner of lowering the number of people with the tools to call “bullshit” on the verbal tricks and fallacies rife in conservative rhetoric. A less educated populace makes a more pliant pool of workers, and that’s all they really want. They consider us a resource for harvesting, both our labor and our money, rather than the people a government is obligated to serve.

Corporations aren’t bankrolling political campaigns for the public’s benefit, only their own. We need to stay vigilant for this grift and demand government serve its original master: its citizens.

 

Here’s to having a Happy New Year, with hopes for a better 2026. Who knows, maybe You Know Who will choke on a steak and be toes-up in the Capitol atrium by 2027. Although I wouldn’t put it past Vance, Miller, and the rest of the posse of imbeciles to pull a Weekend at Trump’s, using AI to keep up the public illusion that their orange idol still has a pulse. But even that would be an improvement.

You Want Fries With That Cover-Up

I don’t mean to gloat, but I totally called it. I’ve been saying for months, and most recently two weeks ago, that this Administration will never willingly release anything that incriminates DJT. And with Friday's first installment (of what was supposed to be 100% of everything on hand), there is nary a whisper of TFG and lots of intentionally placed mentions of other prominent people/Democrats, namely Bill Clinton. So far, there’s been little that we didn’t already know.

Among the documents they released, several items were over 100 pages long, and every scrap of them was blacked out. Obviously, these docs must be doozies. They’re only supposed to conceal the identity of victims, and at most that should mean blacking out some names. (And if they wanted to be helpful, for context, they could replace the names with something, like “16-year-old girl.” But they don’t really want to be helpful, do they? They want the waters as muddy as possible.

And also, why even include huge documents that are completely redacted? Why not just omit them? But no, they want to make a mockery of these proceedings. They want to say, “I bet you wish you knew what this is, don’t you?” They want to rub our noses in the fact that we can’t make them play nice. Because when they flout the law, who are we going to complain to? Congress? Can’t do it without the Republicans, and they don’t have the spine to stand up to their feckless leader. The courts? We may get a lower court ruling here and there, but as long as they can appeal to the stacked SCOTUS, we’re SOL on the justice front.

And not only are they redacting themselves out of the pokey, but they’re also fudging what they do release. Did you see that picture with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Bill Clinton? They are shown with three blacked-out faces. The clear inference is that they were at “the Island” with Epstein, and these are three of the victims. But in comparing the pic to another publicly released shot, it’s clear that the blacked-out faces belong to Jackson’s and Ross’s own children.

The shot was from a fundraiser that had nothing to do with Epstein and his enterprises. It was included there among the evidence to cast aspersions on Clinton. Don’t you think that if they really had something on him, it would have been in the first batch of evidence released? It would have been framed on the cover of the folder and sent to every news outlet.

So just like everything else this administration does, it’s shrouded in lies and chock-full of hidden agendas. Just wait until they roll out this alibi: “The law said we had to protect the victims. President Trump is a victim here.” And therein lies the cover-up. That’s all politics seems to be anymore: a race to claim victimhood and then demand rewards and reparations.

In fact, there was another example in the paper last week:

The MAGA Civil Rights Department is looking for white guys to represent as having been discriminated against. As I’ve long said, the only discrimination recognized by the Right is “reverse discrimination.” They believe the advantages White people enjoy are just the way things should be. The plight of mediocre White men is real, folks! They should never have to suffer the indignity of coming in second place to a more qualified female or brown person. I’m sure they’ll come up with a very nice package to alleviate the suffering of all those poor, damaged White egos. That’ll be just the thing to help eliminate the last 60 years’ worth of civil rights progress.

We are going to have to codify some serious shit, should rational people ever come back into meaningful power.

 

As this is the last post before Christmas, let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) and a peaceful New Year. The House of Bluz will be packed to the rafters on Christmas morning, entertaining our combined family and friends with a festive brunch. It’s always exhausting, but great fun. We always need the following year to rest up for the next one.

Cheers!

They Need a Better Hoax

I swear, they must think we’re idiots. Have you heard the latest misdirection coming from the White House, that “affordability” is a Democratic hoax? Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ, they act like the word is some kind of mystical rune. Just because it’s only come into vogue lately doesn’t mean it’s not solid.

In fact, Republicans like TFG should be one hundred percent up on it because, get this: They ran their last campaign on it, only it was called The Price of Eggs! Or the High Cost of Groceries. They thought it was pretty clear then… Now, it’s just packed into a single word. Maybe it’s because the dodder-in-chief is uncomfortable reading any words longer than three syllables because his lips get tired.

But now, we have the usual Conservative shills out there on Fox “News” pretending that a flatly observable fact is somehow an illusion manufactured by their enemies. Bartiromo, who used to be a respected financial news journalist but sold her soul years ago to the Murdochs and bank CEOs, was pushing this crap last weekend.

Once again, they’re trotting out the old cheater’s maxim, “Who are you gonna believe, me or your lyin’ eyes?” Or in this case, “your lyin’ wallet.” It’s sad when one side of a political disagreement has nothing to fall back on but trying to deceive their own supporters into thinking up is down, and east is west. Fortunately for them, their efforts to dumb down the education system have left them with easily manipulated automatons, who sally forth with the daily talking points, as if they were carved in stone and handed to Moses. And you can’t even present a case to these people when they’re in denial of basic facts. It’s like trying to argue about what color is with someone wearing red-tinted glasses.

Another ridiculous idea recently floated is the prospect of analyzing five years of social media of anyone applying for a visitor’s visa. And it’s being suggested at the onset of preparations for the US hosting the next World Cup.

Talk about shooting oneself in the foot… The host cities NEED foreign visitors to turn a profit on the event. They need full hotels and restaurants. Do they think Americans are going to fill the place for Trinidad vs Ghana? No, they need to roll out the red carpet for international fans. But what does this administration serve up? Another wall. Another tariff. Another barrier between white people and the rest of the non-white world.

There was some discussion on The View about whether such a program is possible. The consensus was that it would necessitate the use of AI; otherwise, it would take a person far too long to evaluate that long a social media timeline.

And that makes me wonder what the guidelines would be. If AI is used, there would have to be a written guide to what constitutes a demerit or “point off.” Would it count less if the offending post was older? Do forwards or likes count as much as original posts? Right before they leave, could someone write, “I just saw the light! Trump really IS the greatest. MAGA!” Would that counteract previous offenses?

Obviously, the whole thing is an offense to what America is supposed to be. The racists are in charge now, and they’re not even hiding it. It’s right there on the billboards now, for the world to see. Hell, they just banished the only “colored” coin, the penny. All the light-colored coins still remain.

Maybe the FIFA guy can come up with some more awards for the rest of the MAGA team, so that his biggest tournament in the world might become a success rather than a monument to empty stadiums.

What We Know

These are some things we know, as we pull into the end of 2025:

This administration will never release anything in the Epstein files that implicates TFG or anyone else who currently has his favor.

He’s had a team of FBI agents scrubbing the files like they’re a team of Cinderellas, to remove incriminating evidence, or destroying that which can’t be redacted.

Anything incriminating those in power now will have to come from the Epstein estate or a leak from the FBI, DOJ, or Congress. TFG and his handlers will never provide ammunition for criticism, let alone legal pursuit. They won’t even release unflattering economic reports.

The administration’s stance on the Epstein files has changed positions like a yo-yo.

Positions they have taken:

·         Campaign promise of releasing all Epstein files.

·         Releasing the Epstein files (already public information to hand-picked Congress people).

·         The list of clients is on Bondi’s desk.

·         There is no list.

·         The files contain no actionable evidence.

·         The files are a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats.

·         Directing the DOJ to pursue evidence in the files that incriminate Democrats.

·         And now, “releasing all the files.” After redaction, of course.

All the evidence in the world won’t matter to the MAGA nutters and the rich who prop up the whole regime.

The meme is satire, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Face it, there is always an alibi from the right to convince you to believe their lies over what you can clearly see with your own eyes. There is no level of proof that will convince the true believer.

I mean, there is sworn testimony from over 100 Epstein victims, naming people, places, and dates. And yet, everyone is still clamoring for more evidence.

Politics is getting uglier by the day, but it’s solvable.

The media still tries to “both-sides” this, but it’s not even close. Find me something as outrageous and obscene as this excrement (above) put forth by the US Press Secretary. Note: If it’s true, it doesn’t count.

Only one side uses death threats as Business as Usual. Just ask MTG. All she had to do was disavow TFG, and his minions obediently flooded her office with threats against her and her family. Not that I feel sorry for her. She was fine with all the modern GOP social warfare until it was turned on her. FAFO, lady.

Republicans are trying to kill us. I don’t know why, or what their game plan is, but this is the latest offense:

Stack this up with devaluing and deemphasizing vaccinations, destruction of the CDC, dissolving FEMA, removing higher mileage standards (and generally pretending that climate change doesn’t exist), and one can only conclude that the Powers That Be don’t care if American citizens live or die, as long as they still get their tax cuts. Maybe they figure that the fewer of us there are out here clamoring for government services, the less the resistance when they cut them all.

If another disease is unleashed on the country, like COVID was, I don’t know how they don’t see that infections come for rich and poor alike. Maybe there’s a special Republican newsletter that goes out to the big donors that says, “Hey, forget about what we’re saying about vaccinations. Keep getting vaccinated. And we have a special stash of the latest medicines for our friends.” They probably keep the stash in the underground lair they’re building under Branson, MO, for use when the coastal areas start washing away.

There is no principle that Republicans support that they won’t turn on a dime and take the other side when it’s convenient. For example:

Republicans sued to defend Texas’s right to gerrymander in any way they see fit, and won, thanks to SCOTUS' blatant disregard of the Constitution and previous rulings. Yet they are actively pursuing a suit against California for doing the same thing in response to Texas.

Note that California’s efforts to redistrict were the only ones that were supported by popular vote. Indiana, for example, is pursuing mid-term redistricting in spite of a popular vote against it. Some of these things are most definitely not like the other.

Lastly, Dogs don’t care about any of this nonsense; they only care about where they’re getting their next bite of food and when.

The family dogs at Thanksgiving, not caring about politics.

 

FIFA and Find Out

Coming Back Around

I'm not feeling well enough today to come up with any original thoughts, so how about looking at some old ones with a few updates? This post is based on an email that showed a bunch of old print ads from way back when, and they really showed how far we've come, in addition to providing a clear look at the era to which the current Republicans want us to return. Warning: Rampant Misogyny Alert!

(Note: you can click any of these images to see a larger version.)

Wow, right out of the gate... woman as "doormat."  Or is it "conquest?"  You can't even tell what this is an ad for... (Checking small print...)  Leggs?  How does this sell pantyhose?

Jon Benet Ramsey - The Prequel. Coming to a molester near you. Looks like Epstein was grooming earlier than we realized.

"When Dr. Emphysema tells you to 'turn your head and cough', he beats you to it." Personally, I wouldn't trust anyone who looks like Spiro Agnew.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!  And you're supposed to BUY something that has this picture in the ad???  Someone's going to have to rock me to sleep tonight. This ad was all I could think about before I had cataract surgery, and they didn't even give me Thorazine.

"Yes, I can squeeze a bowling ball out from my lady-parts, but I can't open this lil' old ketchup bottle!  Please help me, Del Monte!"

 Hooking them young! But I bet there's some Seagram's in there, too.

Whoa! Over-reaction alert! Quoting the ad: "...if he discovers you're still taking chances on getting flat, stale coffee... woe be unto you!" Woe be unto you??? Who's running that ad agency, Leviticus? Did they really spank over coffee back in the day? I never saw that on Ozzie and Harriet. Although I suspect Ricky might have turned Lucy over his knee a time or two.  

I can’t imagine anyone cleaning the house in heels, a knee-length dress, a lacy apron, and full makeup. The need for "pep pills" to get all dolled up is self-explanatory, though. 

This one really isn't that bad of an idea.  It's just very sneaky. Women can get even for all that doormat stuff by running psy ops on their husbands. 

I'm only including this one because I used to collect beer cans, back before I was old enough to empty them myself. And the flat-top can was always a big find. Now admit it... did you really know that you used to have to use a can opener (called a "churchkey") to open a beer? I don't know why it was called a churchkey... maybe because it led you to the holy water.

I wish you could see the type on this one, but it's an ad for... get this... Lysol-Brand Douche! Ahhhh-hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa. I can just see it: "Oh my, I don't feel so fresh... ~pshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht~  Yay!  I feel so much better now!  I can tear down these giant cobwebs my husband somehow spun. Now, where's my apron? Where are my heels?"

Oh yeah, she'll follow your heinous smoke-breath anywhere. Like to a dentist's office to clean those yellow teeth, you smelly cretin.

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out the connection between killing a woman and a postage meter. Any help? I think she ought to jam the guy’s tie into the slot and start cranking.

We now take time out from killing women to kill some children. Actually, this could be an NRA ad, right now. 

Baby: “Yeah, Mom, please chill out and have a smoke, before smoking my bottom for smearing my diaper all over the wall.” Random thought: If a baby is nursing while the mother is smoking, should the baby be able to blow smoke rings?

I bet those Chesterfield boxes autographed by The Gipper are worth something now. At least I hope so, just to make up for the emphysema.

This is amazing. “A case of Blatz in your home means much to the young mother, and obviously baby participates in its benefits.” So we’re getting the babies drunk, are we? I’m picturing the baby taking a long pull off of Mommy, leaning back and going, “BRAAAAAAAAAP!”

Subaru has made quite the turnaround in ad philosophy, didn't they? They went from crushing women’s spirits to being the car of choice for lesbians. Total U-Turn.

At least this one is better than the Thorazine “Eye Surgery/Torture” ad from above. I actually like this one. I’m sending a case of Thorazine to my parents immediately. You know, just in case Walgreens is all out. I’m sure the guy in the picture is agitated because even with arthritis, they still made him tie his own tie.

Is it wrong that the first thing that hit me was “Why is that dude wearing a shirt and tie to bed?” Can’t be a “50 Shades of Grey” thing... I’m sure the lady is only on her knees out of gratitude for being let out of the basement pit long enough to make breakfast. I expect this to be an early version of a JD Vance campaign poster.

This one is partially true. Men may not be the number one reason for women taking Midol, but I bet they’re a close 2nd.

I’m sure the gays would provide much better entertainment on a cruise than THAT. The dude with the puppets doesn't say “gay,” he says “child molester.” The people circled around him have obviously never made it past Romper Room. Next time, book the cruise that Lenny Bruce is playing.

If Santa gives you a gun, you can skip the background check.  After all, he’s the top authority on whether you’re naughty or nice.

If I ever gave my wife a Hoover vacuum cleaner for Christmas, she’d never be able to use it. It would be too hard for the vacuum bag to expand after she stuffed it up my ass.

Hey look!  They had Fox News on TV way back in the 50s!