Apr 062026
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. The deck we had (I just pick up whatever is closest in the games cabinet now ) was not brand new, since it was rather sticky, but it was missing no cards, and no cards were torn or peeling – that’s not always the case. Colorado prisons’ visiting rooms are always cold, but yesterday it was colder than usual. But we had fun anyway. I posted after I got back home but didn’t respond to comments – I’ll do that today. After getting home (and finally making a cup of coffee, and dinner), and while I was looking for a video for today, I tripped over a channel I was not aware of, called “Sideprojects”, whose purpose is to inform people of things you learned in history or even from (usually older) books, are not true, and how we found out. I watched one on the Roman Empire – some of it I knew, but some thinks, especially DNA things were new even to me – and Latin was my major in college, and Roman History was a requirement. I don’t know that I’d call the false stories lies, actually, because I believe a falsehood requires intent to deceive in order to be a lie. But if I “know” something which is false, I do like to learn the truth. Most of the videos, as far as could see, not looking at the whole library, run in the neighborhood of 20-30 minutes, though some are longer – and while many are history based, some correct scientific “knowledge.”

I didn’t want to put this on Sunday. Wajeeh is a Saudi Arabian political analyst who now lives in Minneapolis and is a co-host for Malcolm Nance, along with Jacob Kaarsbo, who is Danish. I’m pretty sure all three pilots who were shot down have been rescued now, thankfully. But that does not mean that he risk is over. We have more pilots, and more planes, and neither the Emperor nor Kegsbreath appears to care much. See also this.

Heather Cox Richardson writes a short history of the origin of NATO, for its anniversary. I just hope this is not also its epitaph.

From Bowers News Media. Besides demonstrating how despicable Republicans can be (even without the Mango Moron as a model, but particularly with), it’s an extremely good argument for not having “jungle primaries.” I’ve been following the California Governor’s race since Katie Porter announced for it, and I’ve been nervous for most of that time – but I haven’t been terrified until now.

From The Seneca Project. Obviously this was made to recruit people to No Kings III, so all the signs shown will have been from II or I. But many people believe that viewing this type of presentation can help build morale anyway – and besides, there is another No kings scheduled for May Day. (And the song will never go out of fashion.)

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Apr 012026
 

Yesterday, April Fool came early for me. My email client was experiencing problems – by 2 pm I had only received four emails, and that is deflinitely not normal. When something like that happens, the first thing I do is try a different browser. I tried a total of four – no joy. I kept refreshing my main browser. Meanwhile, I went through Substack to get to some of my main sources. I have not been looking forward to today.

On Monday, Malcolm pointed out that everything he has pointed out might be possible in the war has subsequently showed up in the national news (NYT, WSJ, WP, etc.) not soon enough for them to have gotten the stories from him directly, but rather, in a time frame for someone to have suggested to Kegsbreath and him to – at least verbally – run with it. And Netanyahu is now poisoning Iran’s and other Gulf states’ water (a war crime, in case anyone didn’t know. (We did it to Kishem Island a couple of weeks ago – Just one of our war crimes.) I am beginning to understand, not just with my brain, but with my heart, why many Jewish people, Israeli and diaspora alike, think it is antisemitism to criticize Israel. When people anywhere in the world, including within the US, criticize the US, even though my brain knows it is the Saffron Sauron and his orcs and nazgul they are criticizing and not me personally, I can’t help feeling sad and a little hurt.

I know we are all worried about the Supreme Court, and we all know something is needed to change it. But we don’t all agree on what needs doing – and I don’t think we really have so much as a concept of a plan as to how the necessary changes can be accomplished. So you may be as encouraged as I am by this conversation between former US Attorney Joyce Vance and Brennan Center Senior Fellow Jesse Wegman (who was essentially hired by Brennan to address the Supreme Curt, but also has a book out about the Electoral College.) It’s 28 minutes, and if that’s too long, there’s a transcript.

I did mention this, but there is much more information here. May Day is the day.

Yeah. Well, that’s the headline. But I’m not seeing them voting that way, or even saying much about it. Certainly not in the numbers needed to make it happen.

It’s been a minute since we had an episode of this series, and this sounds like the final one. My father (who served in WWII, but as a telegrapher) was not in this one, having been medically discharged prior to November 1944. (If he had been there, I almost certainly would not be here.) I could wish that more people remembered – if not from life, at least from education – how important this war was for all of us.

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Mar 282026
 

On Thursday, I watched a video by Heather Cox Richardson which she made on Thursday (Her letters are done at the end of the day and are therefore already a day late when they post.) It had me in tears within the first 20 minutes – because I have been trying for at least a decade to posh the Political Compass, and the distinction between forms of government and economic principles. When, as part of the process of how we got here, she pointed out that when after World War II, as part of establishing the international rules based order, we already conflated capitalism with democracy, and never stopped, and spread that falsehood virtually worldwide – I lost it. Here’s the link; it’s been cut – by Heather or her staff – so it’s only the first just under 20 minutes which got to me.

This is another video – 38 minutes – if you choose to watch. Adam Klasfeld, who was in the courtroom, about the hearing regarding the DOJ seizure of the Fulton County election materials from 2020. Fulton County, naturally, wants their materials back – originals, not copies. DOJ does not want to give the originals back, although they have copies. There apppears to me to be even more hanky-panky in the seizure than I suspected from the start. But withoug going into excesive detail, one thing that struck me is that Fulton County is arguing that the warrant demonstrated a “callous disregard” for its 4th Amendment wights. DOJ is srguing that Fulyon county (presumably because it is not a person?) has no 4th Amendment rights. IANAL, but that horrifies me. Even granting that Fulton County is not a person, it keeps tohse materials as a custodian – on behalf of the voters of Fulton County, who damn well are people and have 4th Amendment rights. No one appears to have come anywhere close to making that point. And there was another, similar argument which if it succeeds will endanger privacy. Sorry, I was so concentrated on the first one that I don’t remember the details, but I expect it will turn up in writing somewhere.

Iran is pretty darned good at propaganda.

From Press Watch. I know people are saying that the Iran War is simply a distraction from the Epstein files, or inflation, or tariffs, or something. I am inclined to believe that all these other things are merely a distraction from how he is using the war to manipulate the oil market, and thereby steal millions, maybe billions of dollars through insider trading. And sharing that with cronies who can do the same. Flashy bombings, moving troops around, meanwhile saying (about nonexistent negotiations) whatever will make the prices go sown so he can buy or up so he can sell. I’ll go out on a limb and say he started the war solely so he can grift from it – and stock up money for when he is no longer President. That is the only plan. The theory that it is a matter of mental illness cosplaying as foreign policy is appealing – but I honestly don’t think he has put even that much thought into it.

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Mar 212026
 

Yesterday, I thought it was going to be a light email day – until I looked in my spam. My tutamail address is still learning what is and isn’t spam – and yesterday it was wrong a lot. But I did make it through the day. Let me throw this out for y’all – I’ve been thinking about asking whether anyone would mind if I started taking one day a week off. (Tuesdays would be good for me, since I’m always wrung out on Mondays.) Think about it and let me know what you think.

Archived from the Old Gray Lady. Pretty much everything the MSM is putting out now is more opinion than fact. Bu this piece is actually labelled as opinion. But it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s more fact in it than in most “news” articles.

Quite short – and just one expat’s view from a small country – but a voice which should count.

Archived from Huff Post. States, particularly blue states, are already putting precautions in motion to circumvent anything the Apricot Antichrist might attempt to do to invalidate the 2026 midterms. (I have no idea whether Wendy Weiser at the Brennan Center is any relation to Phil Weiser, my state Attorney General.)

Video: No effing wonder the GOP wants to get rid of Jon Ossoff. (And probably Sheldon Whitehouse for the same reason – but Rhode Island is blue – so they’re throwing all their money into Georgia. And I hope Ossoff has good security. I would not put violence past them.)

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Mar 192026
 

Yesterday, there was a hearing in committee for Markwayne Mullin, nominated to replace Kristi Noem. I’m just going to reproduce in full what Rand Paul asked him. (You may remember that in 2017 Paul was beat up so severely that he was hospitalized. And I do not agree with his proposed amendment, and you won’t either, but I do agree with him on Mullin):

“Recently, Senator Mullin, if you have time to listen, you were confronted by constituents that were angry because you voted against my amendment to stop all funding for refugee welfare programs,” said Paul. “Instead of explaining your vote to continue these welfare programs for refugees, you decided to transfer the blame. You told the media that I was a ‘freaking snake’ and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force. You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified, so today you’ll have your chance. Today, I’ll give you that chance to clear the record. Tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe. Tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken, and a damaged lung. Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it. And while you’re at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents.”

Also yesterday afternoon, the Senate was debating the SAVE Act, but I have no details yet. (I doubt they decided anything – I would have seen or heard that.) Also, we had a high temperature of 80°F (~27°C) and for today, tomorrow, and Saturday are expecting 84°,85°, and 89° respectively – in an area known for snow storms happening (off and on, granted) November through May

Judicial fireworks – Harry Litman said he has never seen an attorney escorted out of a courtroom by marshals before. Talk about no nonsense!

Maybe I should save this from All Rise News for Sunday. On the other hand, the sooner people can get vaccinated as a result of the, the better.

And there’s this from Press Watch, which could turn out to be good news. We’ll need to watch, and wait, and see. But we can hope.

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Mar 072026
 

Yesterday, it snowed here. It was predicted – for about a fifth of an inch – it looks more like a half inch to me – but that’s just looking out the window. I didn’t measure it. The video today is long – about 48 minutes – but the subject is so huge, I don’t know how it could have been much shorter I won’t get upset if people choose to skip it. Just keep the title in the back of your mind.

This is a supplement to the daily “Chalet of the Two Spies” video update on the war in Iran. It’s no surprise to me. I don’t personally remember World War II (I was born before VJ Day, but only by days), but I remember Korea, and Vietnam, and Desert Storm, and I think it’s safe to say that all wars are subject to Hofstadter’s law (“Everything takes longer than you think it will, even after you have considered Hofstadter’s law.”) Doug and I went to the same high school – I graduated just before he moved to town when his father became a professor at Stanford. But I did meet him at the high school bridge club, which I kept attending because I was not good enough at it to play by tournament rules, which the university club required. (I never got terribly good.) I only have something like 3/8 of a master point.)

I can’t believe that there is anyone who reads here who has not noticed this happening. But Robert Reich says “All this has happened so suddenly that most Americans still haven’t noticed,” and he’s sadly probably correct, which means there are a lot of people who need to learn this. Please share it if you can.

Oh, good grief. WTF next? Will Ukraine ever catch a break? Certainly not from our country in the clutches of the Mango Monster. Ukrinform is on Substack, so I subscribed to it. One more new email every day, but we’ll never learn stuff like this from American media.

BREAKING: Sheldon Whitehouse Details Report On Alleged Ties Between Epstein, Trump, And Russia

Cat

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