Tariffs and Gold

It was kind of surprising to see the Supreme Court rule against the current Administration when it struck down the president’s unilateral tariffs. They haven’t voted against him very often and are seen to be in his pocket. But there’s subtlety at play here. The six conservative Supremes aren’t necessarily as loyal to the president as they are to the rich and Republican (with a sub-loyalty to religious wingnuts). When their interests align, they’re happy to overturn precedent and upset the apple cart.

But with the tariffs, the big-money crowd values a predictable and reliable economic atmosphere, and having a toddler throwing tariff tantrums when the mood hits him is unsettling. It shakes the stability that they need to milk the Market to the degree to which they’re accustomed.

Decision aside, we’re still in the same place because the Emperor is now pushing a 15% global tariff, as revenge for having been told “no.”

Talk immediately jumped to the prospect of refunding the tariffs paid, which is problematic. The payments should really go to the US citizens, not the vendors. The vendors who first paid the tariffs have already been reimbursed by us through raised prices. The Government paying them back would be double-dipping, unless the vendors were required to then reimburse those who bought their goods and services at the tariff-heightened prices.

Do you really think that’s going to happen? In fact, how would it even be possible? How would they know who to reimburse and for how much?

I imagine people who used a grocery store loyalty card might have left usable tracks. And there may be some help from credit card records. But those who paid cash or didn’t participate in store points programs would be SOL.

So, the alternative would be for the government to refund us directly. And because they would be just as limited in tracking individual purchases as retailers, the only fair way to do it is a universal check distribution. And that will never happen. This government will never part with cash money to be sent back to the unwashed masses.

And who knows where that money even is? It wouldn’t surprise me if all the tariff money was funneled to another offshore bank in Qatar, controlled by You Know Who. Maybe that’s why he’s so dead-set on imposing tariffs, despite presumably being told by everyone, from cabinet members to donors, that tariffs are direct taxes on US citizens and not a fund received from foreign countries. It’s another grift for his personal benefit. And that’s all we are to him: a source of revenue to be harvested upwards.

So I’m not holding my breath on the chance of seeing some money falling back down to the common citizens. If anything, the vendors will get a refund, which will then be used for bonuses and stock buy-backs, just like the tax windfalls of the past. Once again, the wealthy benefit, and the rest of us get screwed.

Going for the Gold

I enjoyed watching the Olympics again this year. As a retiree with my afternoons open, I was able to watch a lot of the live coverage during the day. Then I could pick and choose what to watch during the evening recaps.

 My newest T-shirt.

Watching yesterday’s gold medal hockey game between the US and Canada was thrilling. Just from a purely hockey perspective, the game was tremendous; everything a hockey fan would want out of a game. It was a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and hard-skating game that went down to the wire in overtime.

I was rooting for Team USA, but not as rabidly as I might have in the past. Part of me wants to express dissatisfaction with the state of things in the US, but the other part of me knows that it’s not the athletes who are to blame. I mainly root for the players who play for my favored NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby had been playing for Canada (rather than having given up his spot due to injury), I might have drifted over to their side.

Who ended up in the US locker-room celebrating but FBI chief, Kash Patel, who apparently had nothing pressing to do this week? Maybe he was looking for his girlfriend in there. That certainly justifies commandeering a government plane to fly to Italy on the taxpayer’s dime. I suppose he’s just emulating his boss, who also loves crashing sports teams’ celebrations that have nothing to do with him. It’s no wonder they need to bask in other people’s glory; they create so little of their own.

The women’s hockey finals were just as captivating, as it also went into overtime. The Canadians tied up a 1-0 game late, then the US won it in OT on a great inside dangle and a point-blank shot from the crease. (Sorry, that’s a lot of hockey lingo!) Although sadly without the name recognition, I found the women’s game just as captivating and well-played as the men’s final. It was a great week for hockey.

I’m always fascinated by the high-flying and high-speed sports like the ski-jumping and half-pipe acrobatics. It amazes me how people can learn how to do that without maiming themselves.

The skating was enjoyable as well. I felt terrible for our big men’s singles threat, Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” who, after all the hype, totally ate it on his long-routine performance. But I loved that our women’s contestant, Alysa Liu, won gold on a tremendous performance. She had such a positive attitude that it made it easy to root for her.

Short Track Speed Skating, singles or relays, is like a combination of skating fast and human bowling. It’s just chaos in motion, and every so often, there’s a huge crash, and people go flying.

I’ve always thought I’d like to take a ride on a bobsled because it looks like so much fun. Then I saw accounts from famous fans who tried, Jason Kelce and SNL’s Colin Jost. Both made clear how utterly terrifying and physically jarring their ride was. So maybe I’ll just leave it at watching from the sofa. I don’t need to start chiropractor treatments anytime soon.

I have to really hand it to those brave souls who do the luge (going feet-first down the bobsled track on an open sled), or skeleton (same thing, only head-first). I think “skeleton” is an apt name for that event. I bet there are dozens of them buried near the practice track.

I watched a little curling early on, but it seemed like the coverage never ended. CNBC was practically locked onto curling coverage, to the point that their “C” might as well have stood for “Curling.” Bocce on ice… got it.

I was watching the gorgeous Mikaela Shiffrin win a slalom event and noticed how much she looks like Kylie Kelce (podcasting wife of aforementioned Jason). A couple of days later, I see the two of them talking about that very thing on Kylie’s podcast. They may not be identical, but they sure look like sisters to me.

Hotness either way you go.

So, now that we’re done playing international games to demonstrate peace, cooperation, and sportsmanship, it’s time to start a war with Iran. Stay tuned.

The Antagonist General

By now, I presume you’ve already seen all the coverage of Pam Bondi’s Congressional testimony, wherein she provided nothing but insults and presidential glorification while refusing to answer even the most basic questions about the Epstein files.

Obviously, she was performing for an audience of One, seeking His Majesty’s favor by being boorish and acerbic to her questioners, and effusive in praise for her horned-up Master. I’m sure to him, she did exactly what he wanted her to do. Do you think those Burn Books hadn’t been audience-tested yet? He knew the game plan. Of course, if she draws too much heat, it’s not like HE’LL take the fall. He’ll cut her loose for it and assign a new AG who is just as morally pliant as she is.

We ought to note that it’s been another week without a single Justice Department action on the information released in the Epstein files. Zero charges filed, zero investigations announced, zero activity. Oh, and zero fucks given about “accidentally” releasing the names of a handful of Epstein victims. Bondi wouldn’t even acknowledge their presence in the room when called out. Common decency would have at least called for an apology for outing them publicly. But then, that would have flown in conflict with a prime Republican axiom, “Never apologize, never admit you were wrong, always double down.” One can only conclude that those names were released as a warning to other victims and witnesses.

Right now, all we can hope for is that other countries, where they still condemn the raping of children, release the details that Justice is so actively suppressing. At least then the public may act on the information, even if the US legal system refuses to do so. Boycotts and civil suits may be the only alternative until the balance of power is returned to the non-pedophiles.

How the Media Shows Bias, Continued

The newly Conservative-owned Baltimore Sun continues to frame the main news section stories in favor of Republicans, or at a minimum, against Democrats.

This was front-page, upper-right corner material. You can see the focus of the headline is about Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, criticizing the “Trump Agenda,” despite adopting a couple of items from the Big Ugly Bill. It could have just as easily been characterized to give credit to the governor for using a political enemy’s idea, because it benefits the public. But they’d rather infer some kind of hypocrisy instead, because it goes against common Republican behavior. Because THEY will eschew anything a Democrat says, just because a Democrat says it, they assume that Democrats do the same.

I can say, personally, that I think there are a couple of points where I agree with the otherwise-nutball RFK Jr, like eliminating artificial dyes and sketchy preservatives from our food. I don’t think that makes me a hypocrite, just an informed consumer. It certainly doesn’t mean I buy into his anti-vax lunacy. But a Democratic governor doesn’t get the same courtesy.

Here’s another hatchet job, this one about the governor’s upcoming (at the time of the article) State of the State speech. You can see the fix is in from the first sentence: “Some political analysts have a question ahead of the governor’s State of the State address… will the governor use his speech to take shots at the president…” Who do you think those “political analysts” are? I guarantee they’re from Fox “News” or elsewhere in the Sinclair conservative universe. This isn’t news; it’s a fishing expedition designed to short-circuit any prospective criticism of their own leader. And that’s fine, in the OP-ED section. But not on the front page.

Governor Moore can’t even wind his watch without some hack from Sinclair or The Sun calling his motives into question. They really have it in for the guy. And I have no doubt it comes right from the top. It’s not an accident that Governor Moore was one of only two people who were “uninvited” from the annual Governor’s meeting with the president. Trump doesn’t like this guy, not only because he’s a Dem, but he’s a Black Dem who lives right in DC’s back yard, and he refuses to roll over for him. TFG obviously has no qualms about expressing his thoughts to media outlets about how they cover the news. Every story about the governor gets framed as something negative, regardless of the details. At the absolute best, they filter it through a lens of how it affects Republicans.

Last week, the Super Bowl halftime show got the same treatment:

This is all about the widely-trumpeted FCC investigation into whether there were suggestive lyrics broadcast during Bad Bunny’s halftime show. The tell is that it took them seven paragraphs to let us know that they found nothing objectionable, once the translations were done. They spent the first six paragraphs quoting Republican politicians who were lobbing charges and insults. This could have easily been headlined, “No bad language found in halftime show.” But that’s not what they want us to think about; it’s the possibility that there might have been. Someone who only sees the headline might easily think there was something indecent included, and that’s what The Sun wanted.

After the declaration, they give the remaining four paragraphs to Republicans criticizing the show and the NFL anyway. Also note that the source that they’re quoting, “On the Money,” is a column from the conservative mouthpiece, the New York Post.

It’s typical of the way Republicans operate now. They did the same thing with their investigations of Hillary Clinton. They speechify and ask incendiary questions. And when the answers provide nothing actionable, they talk about the juicy questions and hypotheticals again. Or open another investigation.

Super Bowling 2026

Welp, there’s another Super Bowl in the books. Might as well talk about it. (The viewing experience, not the actual game. There are sports pages for that.)

I don’t like either team, so I didn’t have much of a stake in the game. I no longer hate the Patriots like I used to when they had coach Belichick and Tom Brady. And I’m still annoyed about how the Seahawks fans bellyached about the officials for the next 20 years after the Super Bowl they lost to my Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. Nevertheless, my self-interest won out over the other concerns.

I rooted for the Seahawks solely because I didn’t want the Patriots to win their 7th Super Bowl, which would surpass the number of wins by the Steelers.

My family and I actually attended that Super Bowl in Detroit; it was a lifetime dream, but one I wouldn’t care to repeat. It was insanely expensive then; end-zone tickets with a $600 face value cost us $2600 via ticket brokers. It’s more than double that now and basically cost-prohibitive for the average fan, which is a cryin’ shame but a sign of our modern times. And it’s a big risk too. It’s worth every penny when your team wins, but to spend that kind of dough to see your guys lose? That’s a real kick in the gut that I was lucky to avoid.

But I digress.

Most of the attention for this year’s game was about the halftime show, which featured a Puerto Rican artist named Bad Bunny. This distressed the president so much that his people created an alternate halftime show, because, you know, maybe speaking Spanish is contagious? The alternate show featured washed-up white rap guy Kid Rock and some other irrelevant white country singers.

After the show, TFG started putting out his numerous complaints about the original halftime show via Truth Social, which just goes to show that he didn’t want to watch Kid Rock either. He’d rather complain about foreigners than watch something he’s supposed to enjoy.

Before this halftime act was announced, I had never even heard of the headliner. The only Bad Bunny I knew was this one:

Run away! Run away!

Now, Bad Bunny wasn’t the halftime act I wanted to see either. But the cold, hard fact is that none of the acts in the past 10-15 years have been ones I’d pick. And that’s because I’m an old white guy who loves rock n roll, and I’m no longer the prime demographic for these things. I’m still upset that AC/DC has never done a halftime show, despite the fact that their music is played during games at every stadium across the country. Granted, they’re even older than I am, so their opportunity for that has passed. But I think George Thorogood could still put on a great halftime show. That’s football music! And when the Super Bowl was in Texas, they should have booked ZZ Top. They would have rocked the house for sure.

But the modern halftime shows are more about spectacle than the music. The dance routines are complicated, and the sets are elaborate. There are always a few random celebrities who pop up out of nowhere. Even if I’m not thrilled with the music, I enjoy watching the choreography and intricacy of the staging. A lot goes into it.

When I went to my Super Bowl, the Rolling Stones were the act. They basically rolled out a big stage in the shape of their logo, played three songs, and were done. It was like an extended appearance on SNL.

The stage, from our end-zone vantage point.

It was still impressive to see all the work that went into setting up that stage on the field and then getting rid of it just as quickly. I can only imagine how tough it was to put up yesterday’s stage with the tall sugar cane and all the levels.

The rehearsals must have been extensive as well. Did you notice that it was mostly filmed by a single camera, which had to move backwards throughout the entire set to allow the star to be filmed head-on as he walked about the stage? That takes some practice for all involved. I was impressed.

One thing I wished they would have done is identify the people who made cameos. When Lady Gaga came on, I thought it might be her, but I wasn’t sure. I had no idea who the guy was (who turned out to be Ricky Martin), but I figured he was somebody. He just wasn’t someone I knew on sight. Would it be so bad to flash their names on the screen for a second or two?

But as for getting so butt-stung over a halftime show that you need to find an alternate show? That’s insane. Jesus H. Christ, just go to the can or get some snacks or something. It’s just not that big of a deal. Life goes on despite its little irritations. Maybe if some of us weren’t so used to getting our way on everything, we’d be better at coping with disappointment.

I think the president has his minions so programmed to feel they are obligated to be given whatever they desire that they don’t even see how unusual that is. So now it’s “Immigrants have deprived me of the halftime show I want to see!” From there, they get to claim “victimhood,” which is a basic tenet of being MAGA. Every controversy is a race to claim injury and demand retribution. It’s a tailor-made distraction from the ongoing Epstein whitewashing saga.

Also, if Puerto Rico is an American territory, can there really be Puerto Rican immigrants? Um, no. But they’re brown and speak another language, so MAGA can conveniently label them as “other,” and therefore a threat.

So, we survived another national event. Apparently, there wasn’t an onslaught of ICEholes at the stadium after all, so we were spared having to watch people being dragged off to parts unknown. Maybe the Administration figured that if they could afford the massive cost of the tickets, they must have money, which makes them HIS people. He’s probably looking into giving them tax cuts right now.

U Can't Touch This

The next Epstein files data dump took place last weekend, and every page of it seems worse than the last. We have vast amounts of money changing hands, pleas for inclusion at the “wildest parties,” and tales of sexual abuse, rape, torture, and:

Alan Cumming would agree, “Traitors” is certainly the right label for this lot.

The Deputy AG says there is even more that they’re holding back because it’s too graphic and horrifying.

There is a mountain of circumstantial evidence. We can only assume that there is smoking gun evidence out there as well, but the DOJ will certainly not release that, not about the president, and not about his supporters, donors, or anyone who can attest that he was on the island.

So the question is, “Is anyone going to do anything about it?

I say, obviously not. If the DOJ were going to prosecute these crimes, they’d have at least started it already. But other than some unproven allegations against the Clintons, the legal trail is ice cold. TFG’s name is all over the place, with over 3000 mentions. Can ALL of them really be a hoax, like the Administration flaks claim? Not on your life. But if the DOJ won’t act, who can?

The states? If I understand correctly, all of this activity took place on a private island, which, I presume, is out of US jurisdiction. Maybe somewhere in all that material is evidence of something that took place in the US, and that state can take up the case. Although if so, it’s probably Florida, so forget about that angle. Governor DeSantis would probably use the information to squeeze TFG into naming him VEEP, SecState, or his personal butler, in exchange for not prosecuting.

Trump Towers may be a viable location, and NY State would certainly pursue charges if it could. But I think even this dotard’s reptilian mind knows enough not to bang minors where he eats.

The DOJ needs to be questioned about why the names of non-victims were redacted. The ONLY allowable redactions were to be for the girls who were assaulted or otherwise involved. There is no tangible reason to redact the names of the predators other than to cover them up and shield from public scrutiny and retaliation. So we can clearly see whose side the DOJ is taking. It’s not the victims and it’s not the public, it’s the rich pervs who used their money and privilege to rape and abuse teenage girls.

I don’t think there will be any meaningful prosecutions until such time as there is a Democratic administration. And that’s only if the evidence manages to survive being in the possession of a corrupt Justice Department for the next three years, which is doubtful.

What we’re seeing here is a group of rich and powerful men, including the US president, thumbing their noses at the rest of us and saying, “What are you going to do about it?” They know what they did, and we know what they did, and they’re celebrating the fact that we still can’t touch them.

This is ANOTHER reason why there will be heavy interference with the next two elections. Those involved know they’re looking at jail time if they ever lose their governmental cover. Although I wouldn’t put it past them to secretly bankroll a Democratic presidential candidate under the condition that they not pursue charges against them. Or maybe they bankroll a Dem who has been to The Island and has as much to lose as anyone else. Having piles of money seems to solve a lot of problems, doesn’t it?

The ongoing erosion of our Constitutional rights is another lever to press, both to distract from the Epstein mess and to depress and weaken opposition.

At some point, they’re counting on the rest of us to go “Oh, screw it, what’s the point?”

That’s the point when they win. We have to continue to care and continue to act.

If we give up, we deserve what we get.