One observation:

If you listen to Orangina in the Access Hollywood tape, he sounds like Lord Chesterfield compared to how he sounds now. He had an ease of speaking, a coherent vocabulary, and a smoothness which he utterly and totally lacks presently. There has been a severe deterioration in his cognitive processes.

Hey Ari! It's 6:45 on a Friday,

And you haven’t quoted a rapper yet! Are you not feeling well?

For your viewing pleasure: Noem Edition

Some thoughts during this insanity...

Orangina is simply the classic psychopathic schoolyard bully who became an abuser of (hyperbolically) Biblical proportions of both individuals and because he was allowed, the populace. It may be stated that the smartest thing he ever did was have his parents precede him, a cliche which is most appropriate and applicable in this situation.

His statements concerning his future behavior as President interest me in several ways, but two in particular are very disturbing. Firstly, his threats to suspend the Constitution and perform acts of nearly unspeakable harm to millions possesses that “look what you made me do” notion which many many victims have heard after the punches, or the throwing of bric-a-brac, dishes, or furniture. Then comes the wooing phase, the “we all will make America great again” all the while destroying it further.

Secondly, he is clearly and evidently beholden to foreign forces, the nature of which may be much more complex than we can conceive without engaging a Robert Ludlum protege to write it. Something is seriously wrong here and I for one cannot fathom why at least one the intelligence agencies have not taken care of business. These books and films do not appear from thin air - this is the stuff of best-selling fiction rooted in experiential realities.

Lastly, and as more of a coda: with whom is he being intimate with? Not his wife. I refuse to believe that he’s celibate and his adultery needs to be revealed. My supposition is that there are people who are knowledgeable in this regard and should leak it to, well, any outlet except the National Enquirer. Enquiring minds want to know!!!

For your viewing pleasure as the Trial restarts:

There's a real shitty anti-Biden ad that's been running

consistently during the Phillies games. It states that a young woman was raped and murdered by someone who was initially detained at the border and then released to “Biden’s open border policy”. It has the requisite horrible photos of the President and it’s paid for by some PAC Make America Great Again.

It’s played once or twice a game and there are no ads from the Dems yet. Yes I know it’s “early” but it’s not that early.

Just reporting in…

I saw this joke on Quora.

It’s “ok”, not great, but I thought I’d pass it along on this (so far) quiet weekend:

Trump has finished a late meeting with the House leadership who still refuse to fund his wall.

Frustrated, he decides to go for a walk while he works out how to deal with the problem

He walks to the Washington monument. He looks at it and says “what would you do, George? “a ghostly voice says”go to the Congress and ask for a separate bill for the wall so the government can operate “. Trump shakes his head, “the senate would pass it but not the house, so I can't do that. “

Then he walks to the Jefferson memorial. He asks the same question. Jefferson ‘s ghost says ”ignore Congress, go to the people, they have the power to demand funding for the wall.” Trump shakes his head. “I can't do that, they voted this house in, and I didn't even win by the popular vote, only by the electoral college.”

Depressed, fed up and despairing he arrives at the Lincoln memorial. Before he can ask the question, Lincoln stands up and points to the Kennedy Center “go to the theatre!!!!! “

TYPICAL!!!!!

This is the bank I’ve used for over twenty years.
The first bank to close this year in the US
There was a branch in the lobby of my office building
Yes I know I haven’t lost any money but Jeez.
Wherever I go, everything I use routinely closes.
And yes, they said branches would reopen as Fulton Bank, but my branch had a water main break and is “under renovation”.
Anyone here remember Joe Btsflk from L’il Abner? That’s I.

https://www.inquirer.com/business/republic-first-bank-closes-philadelphia-20240426.html

WASHINGTON — Regulators have closed Republic First Bank, a regional lender operating in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday it had seized the Philadelphia-based bank, which did business as Republic Bank and had roughly $6 billion in assets and $4 billion in deposits as of Jan. 31.
Fulton Bank, which is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, agreed to assume substantially all of the failed bank’s deposits and buy essentially all of its assets, the agency said.
Republic Bank’s 32 branches will reopen as branches of Fulton Bank as early as Saturday. Republic First Bank depositors can access their funds via checks or ATMs as early as Friday night, the FDIC said.

This SCOTUS business MAY not be as dire as one might think..

Then again…
BUT: one can only imagine the complexity of the subterranean machinations ongoing. I think the public believes that these Justices sit in their offices and have formal conversations discussing the Framers Original Intent and Precedents as though it is modeled, in the masses’ brains, like some B-movie about law school.

Now I am not ascribing “good intentions” to at least a couple of the miscreants, but I’ll tell you: I was very concerned about the midterms and the Presidential Election until this majority handed us the overturning of Roe v. Wade which has mobilized the electorate. It may be the greatest “mistake” the RW has ever made in my lifetime , eclipsing the nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964.

If I had to guess, and in fact I DO have to guess because I have no idea of what is reality, I think that some of the questions asked of the lawyers were deliberately designed to get everyone excited one way or another, and the decision when it is handed down may not be anything oredicted based upon the questioning. The Court, whose reputation is in the shitter, may possibly be sending out requisite signals to its constituencies and then will not give this Caligula-wannabe the immunity he craves.

I have for a long time assumed that the game is rigged and I’ll retell a story which I have related here a few times over the years. Many years ago I was acquainted with the most influential Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia. Senator Santorum, now of etymological fame, was running for a second term. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Mr. Klenk, was his Democratic opponent. There was essentially no advertising for Klenk but he wasn’t trailing by very many points at all. I mentioned to the fundraiser that with some ad buys, the gap could be closed. I shall never forget what he said to me: “We are not doing that. Its not our time for this election, the deals have already been made.” Chilling…but educational.

The point I’m making is that the cognoscenti know that Trump is going to lose, bigly. It’s just a question of how they’re going to maneuver the down-ticket candidates and come out of this with some hopes for the 2026 midterms and to rehabilitate the public image for the big one in 2028. That is the one they are really looking at. The House is lost to them, and likely the Senate will remain as it is with each side having some ups and downs. In a crazy way, like the NFL and the NBA, the elections are rigged and Trump isn’t entirely wrong, he’s just malignantly malevolent.

Now the other point is that the ongoing machinations, of which we are totally unaware, are proceeding at an incredible rate: you could liken them to the preparations below decks on an aircraft carrier ready to launch a squadron of planes, or to a placid-appearing duck whose feet are paddling incredibly fast underwater. Hold onto your hats, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride from here on out.

This SCOTUS business MAY not be as dire as one might think..

Then again…
BUT: one can only imagine the complexity of the subterranean machinations ongoing. I think the public believes that these Justices sit in their offices and have formal conversations discussing the Framers Original Intent and Precedents as though it is modeled, in the masses’ brains, like some B-movie about law school.

Now I am not ascribing “good intentions” to at least a couple of the miscreants, but I’ll tell you: I was very concerned about the midterms and the Presidential Election until this majority handed us the overturning of Roe v. Wade which has mobilized the electorate. It may be the greatest “mistake” the RW has ever made in my lifetime , eclipsing the nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964.

If I had to guess, and in fact I DO have to guess because I have no idea of what is reality, I think that some of the questions asked of the lawyers were deliberately designed to get everyone excited one way or another, and the decision when it is handed down may not be anything oredicted based upon the questioning. The Court, whose reputation is in the shitter, may possibly be sending out requisite signals to its constituencies and then will not give this Caligula-wannabe the immunity he craves.

I have for a long time assumed that the game is rigged and I’ll retell a story which I have related here a few times over the years. Many years ago I was acquainted with the most influential Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia. Senator Santorum, now of etymological fame, was running for a second term. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Mr. Klenk, was his Democratic opponent. There was essentially no advertising for Klenk but he wasn’t trailing by very many points at all. I mentioned to the fundraiser that with some ad buys, the gap could be closed. I shall never forget what he said to me: “We are not doing that. Its not our time for this election, the deals have already been made.” Chilling…but educational.

The point I’m making is that the cognoscenti know that Trump is going to lose, bigly. It’s just a question of how they’re going to maneuver the down-ticket candidates and come out of this with some hopes for the 2026 midterms and to rehabilitate the public image for the big one in 2028. That is the one they are really looking at. The House is lost to them, and likely the Senate will remain as it is with each side having some ups and downs. In a crazy way, like the NFL and the NBA, the elections are rigged and Trump isn’t entirely wrong, he’s just malignantly malevolent.

Now the other point is that the ongoing machinations, of which we are totally unaware, are proceeding at an incredible rate: you could liken them to the preparations below decks on an aircraft carrier ready to launch a squadron of planes, or to a placid-appearing duck whose feet are paddling incredibly fast underwater. Hold onto your hats, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride from here on out.