Long time, no chat. I’ve missed you – hopefully the feeling is mutual. No, Stephen Miller did not come for me in the night and do his full Dracula imitation upon my person. I simply have had some extended travel time, first in a while, and taken advantage of the opportunity to get out of our pressure cooker. I recommend it. Try it if you can.
I’m largely off-topic today (please don’t ban me, moderators) but would like to share some random observations that came to me while abroad, in a more objective climate than we live in here anymore. I’ll stick to highlights for brevity and welcome the thoughts of others who have been outside the country recently for additional context.
1) It takes such travel, on an extended basis and around people willing to talk openly and honestly, to gauge how much our current regime is despised by others elsewhere. I heard literally not a single voice supporting our President and our government. It is pretty much that one-sided. On the former in particular, the kindest word I heard uttered is that he is a clown. (There also was worse. Much worse. I’ll let you use your imagination to fill in that gap.) Generally there is an outright befuddlement as to how so many supposedly smart people could elect the single most ignorant and lazy person we could find to the most important elected office in the world. They do not understand. I was forced to tell them that many to most of us do not understand either. Yet here we are.
2) These same people do not hate us as Americans. They hate what America is doing now, but they understand the fundamental difference between the average citizen and the power brokers who hold the power and the control. They do not wish to punish us individually for what is happening on a macro level. But they do question why we allowed it in the first place, and why we did not take into account them and others who also have to live with the outcomes as a branch of the tree of choices and consequences. They still love us and want to be friends with us. We simply have to stop acting like teenagers and be the adults in the room again that they were accustomed to.
3) Pope Leo is amazing, and he is the face of America that they seek to embrace – if we can find our way (back) there. I saw first-hand the love and the admiration that the Spanish people have for him, and what he stands for in his messages of fundamental decency and kindness, acceptance of others, and his support of equality and inclusivity. The feelings are real, and it was a moment of deep personal pride for me to see this American Pope representing what is best about us when too often what appears in the news reflects the worst of us. We should not underestimate his importance as a goodwill ambassador as he travels the world, speaks truth to power, and, at least indirectly, reminds the world anew of our better selves even while we struggle to find it here, on our home turf.
4) Lastly for now, a confession, derived at least partially from staying up way too late for NBA Finals games that started around 2:30 a.m. local time and ended around 5:30: the Knicks are the better team. As a San Antonio Spurs fan, it stings to admit that, and to see New Yorkers celebrate a title that we actually were justthisclose to winning ourselves had the ball bounced slightly differently in two or three of those very tight and suspenseful games. Yes, the two teams were that evenly matched. But as a rule the deeper, more experienced team usually finds a way to win most of those nail-biters in a seven-game series. And they did this time too. Congratulations, Knicks fans. Just tell others that, despite 4-1, our team belonged in the Finals with you and that we were the toughest competition you faced along the way. From there we’re all good, and hope to renew the duel next year.
Good to see you back, your absence has indeed been noticed (at least by me). It’s rather disheartening to have you confirm the justifiable dismay and disrepute America is held in by the rest of the world. But there are signs we’re not just the sum of Donald Trump, or beyond redemption. His plans for “Freedom 250” featuring the likes of Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice was a spectacular bust. International soccer teams have been welcomed with open arms by communities across the nation. And yes, we do indeed have an American Pope that the whole world adores. He’s the best of us.
Nice to hear from you. You are missed. I have spent time in Europe as well and agree with your overall view, however, I believe in some countries this is a time of great danger. The deranged right wing types have always existed there as well. Trump and a number of their own leaders have empowered them to come out of their closets. After seeing what happened in Hungary they are desperate to strike before it is too late. Furthermore the skullduggery of Russian agents and the money of Musk, Thiel and others is causing bitter divisions, particularly of the national blood and soil type.
Welcome back. Glad you got some decompression time. We all can use that once in a while.
Earlier this year I travelled to India for work, and then stopped in London on the way back for a couple of days of sightseeing. Over the course of two weeks, I met not one person who was in support of the current administration. These people ranged from senior VPs in tech to fellow pub patrons.
*"Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back". It has been awhile since I waxed song lyrics here.( this by John B. Sebastian, Welcome Back).... I too have traveled to Europe the last several years. The main thought is what is going on in America? On a cruise ship, I met an elderly British couple wondering that. And they liked Boris Johnson!... In Northern Ireland I saw the wall that separated Protestants from Catholics. The wall has many messages of graffiti. I happened on one that said: Fuck ICE, Fuck Trump....... Our image has suffered immensely. This is DJT's longest lasting effect that will take generations to overcome..... Finally, good for the Knicks! It is not very often that people will root for a NY team! Good for KAT: KARL Anthony Towns! KAT used to be on the Timberwolves. Hey I am a Mn sports fan and we find ways to cheer on ex Mn players! (Sam Arnold is another example
Good to see you back and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am heartened to hear that people are not blaming "Americans", but rather the administration. I'll lump "billionaires" in with the administration, because, by enlarge, if not in their entirety, in cahoots with the administration. We're on course to follow Russia (and China, if not quite in the same way). I digress...
The more I travel globally, the more I see that people are just people and we're all doing the same basic stuff. For all of the ease that's come of our ability to travel, it seems like many people are missing this point. Instead, they're racing around trying to score selfie points for their Insta accounts to impress their friends back home. (Not even realizing that they're taking that selfie pic in that place because algorithms subtly coaxed them that this was where they needed to be!) What's more, many of the places we go, look like where we came from, so what's really the difference? (The China I visited in 2001 is nothing like the China I last visited in 2019 and was largely not the same by the early aughts.) That's too bad.
As for Pope Leo. I'm a long lapsed Catholic myself. While non-practicing, I have great respect for (some) aspects of the papacy. Leo is, seemingly, the man for the times. I appreciate what he's done and said thus far. I'd also like to see him clear the ranks of corruption within the church to show the world it can be done.
Welcome back Mr. D! While I always enjoy your thoughtful comments I understand the need to just get away. I'm very happy you were able to get an out of country experience.
Thank you for an uplifting comment, glad that not everyone hates us little people.
My nephew moved to new York for a job and has embraced the city with both arms. While I always want a Texas team to make it to the top I'm glad for the Knicks. San Antone rules and they'll be back.
Welcome back. I'll just say it's good the Knicks got their title this year, because as young as the Spurs are, they are probably going to dominate the NBA in years to come. They found their next Parker/Duncan/Ginobili in Wemby/Castle/Harper.
Per The Hill website, here's Lindsey Graham commenting on the Iran war agreement:
“I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress."
No mention of Trump. This sounds to me like Vance is being set up as the fall guy in case the dear leader's "peace deal" proves to be less artful and more doubtful.
Re: "Indeed, the American people don’t seem to have been too impressed by Trump’s White House cage circus."
My son likes UFC. He and his buddies go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the fights. I think they're stupid and he's on me all the time about being a hater. Well, haters gonna hate, as they say. Yeah, no, I don't find ass-kicking contests entertaining.
He called me last night, asking if I was going to watch the thing on the White House lawn. Wasn't planning on it. My wife turned it on, just to see what was going on.
I damn near vomited. Everything was wrong with this. It WAS an ass-kicking contest, first of all. American servicemen SALUTED these idiots as they came down the carpet. THEY stood at attention and saluted THEM! What the hell is that! And the ads. They were selling Trump coins! Trump coins! The President of the United States was selling crap to the American people from the White House lawn! And Bud Light and gambling sites and all kinds of crap.
The thing was on Paramount+. Because I have college-age kids, I spend, roughly, $4.8 billion/month on streaming services, so we have that. But this is what gets me. I pay taxes for that lawn. I ought to be able to see what's going on on it for free and so should everyone else. But no. You gotta pay to watch the ass-kicking.
And then all those bullet-headed idiots, Dana White and Joe Rogan and the rest of them, cashing in. Big smiles from those dudes. They could hear the checks clearing the banks. And from the White House lawn.
The ass-kickers, bouncing around inside the White House too, looking like J6'ers.
I lasted less than 10 minutes. I couldn't stand it. A cage match on the White House lawn, surrounded by trailer trash.
I read something in the Washington Post this morning about how it's okay for Real America to get some of their stuff once in a while after having to watch all those poets and cellists and other boring crap for all these years at the White House. Wrong. There have been plenty of sports stars at the White House and those visits are appropriate. But an ass-kicking contest? With corporate sponsorship? Yesterday they were doing motorcycle stunts out there. What's next? A monster truck rally? Mud wrestling? Demolition Derby? All sponsored by Porn Hub?
I swear I was reading "ass-kissing" for most of your comment before I realized my mistake. Ten minutes of that cage match is a long time but I appreciate you sharing what you saw. This is our so-called culture war at its most basic. Two or three or more seemingly contradictory things can be true: we are a nation who loves our blood sports AND a nation who loves our concerts and our poets. Some of us think that violent blood sports are not a healthy pastime. Some of us think cellists are boring. It would have been nice to have been asked: Who/what should represent us? What image do we want to project to the world for our 250th birthday? But this, as you say, is all wrong.
One thing did hearten me, though. My son called me after it was over, laughing his head off. He thought it was the dumbest thing he'd ever seen. He said it was a South Park episode. He thought it was the most mockable thing he'd ever seen and I suspect, in the media world he inhabits, which is Instagram and TikTok and that kind of thing, it's being mocked this morning.
So, even the demographic it was aimed at thought it was stupid ... and not in a good way.
This IS heartening. I like to believe that people don't like being used, don't like being conned and don't really like being pandered to. Your son makes me feel better about it all. Thanks!
"The thing was on Paramount+. Because I have college-age kids, I spend, roughly, $4.8 billion/month on streaming services, so we have that."
I burst out laughing because that's how we were with our college kids.
The bad news:
After they leave college and have their own jobs and families, you will still be paying $4.8 billion/month because you will be addicted and/or have FOMO if you lose a stream
It reminded me of Back to the Future Part II—with the Biff Tannen character; they hint he becomes president, amd the dystopia than ensues—with the gambling ads and casinos….you can’t make this sh*t up!…:)
I could not have described it any better. This is humiliating, as well as just plain wrong. If Trump had not fired all the people in charge of ethics and legalities, this would never have been allowed (we can hope).
“ We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!)”. And, of course, “I will deliver keynote remarks that you will not want to miss.”
The idiot in chief is completely unaware that there has been a July 4th concert on the mall for decades now, followed by fireworks. Said concert has been televised for years. Past concerts have averaged 500,000 people, depending on who's on the concert list. Nothing to do with orange snake. So, is his rally going to usurp a legitimate concert or go on before the really big one?
I didn't think my disgust level could get any higher. But after yesterday's display at the White House and reading that the "winner" shouted that Michele Obama is a man... Disgust is 15 out of 10.
If you stop expecting a bottom, it become a whole lot easier to weather this bullshit. Repulicans are now the party of pedophiles, rapists, and grifters who would murder their grandmother to make a buck. There are hardly more deplorable pieces of shit on this planet.
As we used to say in our house, they would murder their grandmother in Macy's window! If it kept them in Trump's good graces and/or made them some more money. 🤮
Unfortunately we lost it as soon as Iran closed the strait of Hormuz. But I'll agree that we're losing it more badly because Trump is so anxious to leave it behind him. It's the equivalent of declaring bankruptcy - he cuts his losses and others have to pay
How many people would not have died if Harris had been elected?
If you count those we lost when we eliminated USAID, the people who have died and will die bc they lack health insurance now, the lives lost bc we no longer want to invest in medical and scientific research, it’s in the thousands. Djt has blood on his hands. An understatement.
Andrew's article about the contrast between the "real Americas" is powerful.
I'm so proud of the way different cities have welcomed the World Cup teams. I don't think we deserve the honor of hosting the World Cup and FIFA has serious issues (watched a documentary about it on Peacock over the weekend), but the players and fans deserve the warmest welcome we can give them.
And I can't like his comment about the proletariat liking dumb shit enough. 😂
Republicans have been sticking knives into "the spirit of republican virtue" since Gingrich came to power in the 1990s. Trump has been merely the coup de grâce.
The stench of Trumpism will stick to the nation for generations, and rightly so. We brought this on ourselves, by not repudiating the man at the ballot box in 2016 (in the Republican primaries and the presidential election), and reaffirming him in 2024. We have no one to blame but ourselves -- the American people. The passiveness in which we have allowed the debasement of our media ecosystem, our willingness to let our nation be taken over by oligarchs, our refusal to confront the structural flaws in the Constitution (which we bizarrely revere as if had been handed down on Sinai), our celebration of ignorance as a virtue, all have led to this moment. We need to stop thinking about restoration -- how to get back to some kind of prelapsarian America -- and start thinking about what should come next, what a new America might look like.
I only hope that when Democrats take over there will be numerous investigations into the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States and that all the evidence will be put on display to show that we are serious about washing that stench away and putting these people behind bars where they belong. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see Trump getting what he deserves.
Our emperor is staging lavish spectacles for his enjoyment while engaging in losing wars on the empire's periphery. If you've read some history, you've seen this before.
One other significant thing happened yesterday that was not discussed. Trump spoke with Putin and perhaps by coincidence Russia launched a deliberate missile attack on one of the oldest, most significant, and beautiful churches in the world, a UNESCO heritage site in Kyiv, the Dormition Cathedral, and a second strike killed a number of firefighters attempting to put out the fires. Beyond outrageous. Please do not forget what has been happening in Ukraine and the continuing war crimes by Russia and Putin. And no, I’m not Ukrainian.
Lawrence, KS is a truly special place. It is the home of the Unbound (formerly Dirty Kanza) ultra-distance gravel bike race. It is impossible to imagine a more welcoming town. I was lucky to do the race in 2018 and rented a home from a local. The good luck card one of the homeowners' children left for me was entirely like that one residents viral clip. Warm, welcoming, and just fundamentally kind. For all the bemoaning about, "what's the matter with Kansas?" Lawrence is proof that a lot is right about Kansas. For anyone who has ever been, I think that the way the town has welcomed the Algerians is entirely unsurprising. Lawrence is one of the most welcoming places I've ever been. Lawrence is "real America" and not because it happens to be in a red state but because it represents a nation that prides itself on being welcoming and proud of its hospitality. If you've never been, the bike race is a treat with some very sane distances in addition to the ultra ones. Lawrence gave me great hope that America wasn't lost to Trumpism in June of 2018, right before the midterms. Let's hope it is a bellwether once again of what America really is all about.
In 2022 the people of Kansas voted for human rights in rejecting a state constitutional amendment banning a woman's right to choose her health care- so affection and respect from me. Other stuff too.
I feel like the Iran deal is just another one of Trump's bankruptcies. And I have a hard time seeing anything really getting negotiated now that Trump has declared victory. Only the utterances are important, not the actual actions. He has spoken and it is thus so.
watching old bone spurs live w/Macron ( the leader of the free world ) he just said it is a very important document, and of course mentioned that Obama's was not a very important document, so the assinine human will get to dine at Versailles
Ugh!! Unfortunately Trump must still be appeased and humored despite his decline. I would hope to see more push back to his face at the summit, though.
Hello Friends:
Long time, no chat. I’ve missed you – hopefully the feeling is mutual. No, Stephen Miller did not come for me in the night and do his full Dracula imitation upon my person. I simply have had some extended travel time, first in a while, and taken advantage of the opportunity to get out of our pressure cooker. I recommend it. Try it if you can.
I’m largely off-topic today (please don’t ban me, moderators) but would like to share some random observations that came to me while abroad, in a more objective climate than we live in here anymore. I’ll stick to highlights for brevity and welcome the thoughts of others who have been outside the country recently for additional context.
1) It takes such travel, on an extended basis and around people willing to talk openly and honestly, to gauge how much our current regime is despised by others elsewhere. I heard literally not a single voice supporting our President and our government. It is pretty much that one-sided. On the former in particular, the kindest word I heard uttered is that he is a clown. (There also was worse. Much worse. I’ll let you use your imagination to fill in that gap.) Generally there is an outright befuddlement as to how so many supposedly smart people could elect the single most ignorant and lazy person we could find to the most important elected office in the world. They do not understand. I was forced to tell them that many to most of us do not understand either. Yet here we are.
2) These same people do not hate us as Americans. They hate what America is doing now, but they understand the fundamental difference between the average citizen and the power brokers who hold the power and the control. They do not wish to punish us individually for what is happening on a macro level. But they do question why we allowed it in the first place, and why we did not take into account them and others who also have to live with the outcomes as a branch of the tree of choices and consequences. They still love us and want to be friends with us. We simply have to stop acting like teenagers and be the adults in the room again that they were accustomed to.
3) Pope Leo is amazing, and he is the face of America that they seek to embrace – if we can find our way (back) there. I saw first-hand the love and the admiration that the Spanish people have for him, and what he stands for in his messages of fundamental decency and kindness, acceptance of others, and his support of equality and inclusivity. The feelings are real, and it was a moment of deep personal pride for me to see this American Pope representing what is best about us when too often what appears in the news reflects the worst of us. We should not underestimate his importance as a goodwill ambassador as he travels the world, speaks truth to power, and, at least indirectly, reminds the world anew of our better selves even while we struggle to find it here, on our home turf.
4) Lastly for now, a confession, derived at least partially from staying up way too late for NBA Finals games that started around 2:30 a.m. local time and ended around 5:30: the Knicks are the better team. As a San Antonio Spurs fan, it stings to admit that, and to see New Yorkers celebrate a title that we actually were justthisclose to winning ourselves had the ball bounced slightly differently in two or three of those very tight and suspenseful games. Yes, the two teams were that evenly matched. But as a rule the deeper, more experienced team usually finds a way to win most of those nail-biters in a seven-game series. And they did this time too. Congratulations, Knicks fans. Just tell others that, despite 4-1, our team belonged in the Finals with you and that we were the toughest competition you faced along the way. From there we’re all good, and hope to renew the duel next year.
Good to see you back, your absence has indeed been noticed (at least by me). It’s rather disheartening to have you confirm the justifiable dismay and disrepute America is held in by the rest of the world. But there are signs we’re not just the sum of Donald Trump, or beyond redemption. His plans for “Freedom 250” featuring the likes of Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice was a spectacular bust. International soccer teams have been welcomed with open arms by communities across the nation. And yes, we do indeed have an American Pope that the whole world adores. He’s the best of us.
Sorry about the Spurs. Welcome home.
Nice to hear from you. You are missed. I have spent time in Europe as well and agree with your overall view, however, I believe in some countries this is a time of great danger. The deranged right wing types have always existed there as well. Trump and a number of their own leaders have empowered them to come out of their closets. After seeing what happened in Hungary they are desperate to strike before it is too late. Furthermore the skullduggery of Russian agents and the money of Musk, Thiel and others is causing bitter divisions, particularly of the national blood and soil type.
Welcome back. Glad you got some decompression time. We all can use that once in a while.
Earlier this year I travelled to India for work, and then stopped in London on the way back for a couple of days of sightseeing. Over the course of two weeks, I met not one person who was in support of the current administration. These people ranged from senior VPs in tech to fellow pub patrons.
Hopefully we get through this in one piece.
*"Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back". It has been awhile since I waxed song lyrics here.( this by John B. Sebastian, Welcome Back).... I too have traveled to Europe the last several years. The main thought is what is going on in America? On a cruise ship, I met an elderly British couple wondering that. And they liked Boris Johnson!... In Northern Ireland I saw the wall that separated Protestants from Catholics. The wall has many messages of graffiti. I happened on one that said: Fuck ICE, Fuck Trump....... Our image has suffered immensely. This is DJT's longest lasting effect that will take generations to overcome..... Finally, good for the Knicks! It is not very often that people will root for a NY team! Good for KAT: KARL Anthony Towns! KAT used to be on the Timberwolves. Hey I am a Mn sports fan and we find ways to cheer on ex Mn players! (Sam Arnold is another example
Great to have you back, and read your thoughts! Thanks!
Good to see you back and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am heartened to hear that people are not blaming "Americans", but rather the administration. I'll lump "billionaires" in with the administration, because, by enlarge, if not in their entirety, in cahoots with the administration. We're on course to follow Russia (and China, if not quite in the same way). I digress...
The more I travel globally, the more I see that people are just people and we're all doing the same basic stuff. For all of the ease that's come of our ability to travel, it seems like many people are missing this point. Instead, they're racing around trying to score selfie points for their Insta accounts to impress their friends back home. (Not even realizing that they're taking that selfie pic in that place because algorithms subtly coaxed them that this was where they needed to be!) What's more, many of the places we go, look like where we came from, so what's really the difference? (The China I visited in 2001 is nothing like the China I last visited in 2019 and was largely not the same by the early aughts.) That's too bad.
As for Pope Leo. I'm a long lapsed Catholic myself. While non-practicing, I have great respect for (some) aspects of the papacy. Leo is, seemingly, the man for the times. I appreciate what he's done and said thus far. I'd also like to see him clear the ranks of corruption within the church to show the world it can be done.
Welcome back Mr. D! While I always enjoy your thoughtful comments I understand the need to just get away. I'm very happy you were able to get an out of country experience.
Thank you for an uplifting comment, glad that not everyone hates us little people.
My nephew moved to new York for a job and has embraced the city with both arms. While I always want a Texas team to make it to the top I'm glad for the Knicks. San Antone rules and they'll be back.
Welcome back. I'll just say it's good the Knicks got their title this year, because as young as the Spurs are, they are probably going to dominate the NBA in years to come. They found their next Parker/Duncan/Ginobili in Wemby/Castle/Harper.
Good to hear your voice again, Deutschmeister. We've missed you.
Welcome back, you have been greatly missed!…:)
Per The Hill website, here's Lindsey Graham commenting on the Iran war agreement:
“I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress."
No mention of Trump. This sounds to me like Vance is being set up as the fall guy in case the dear leader's "peace deal" proves to be less artful and more doubtful.
Good tsar, bad boyars.
If only the Tsar knew of our plight!
I am waiting for Trump’s cabinet to include a mystic who can heal his hands.
An old, old story that probably goes back to ancient times, not just Tsarist Russia.
I’m sure the peasants of ancient Egypt wished the Pharaoh knew too.
RFK Jr. fits the bill.
Re: Vance the Fall Guy
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
💯No doubt, I’ve even heard MAGA prognosticators say as much—that’s if they can’t sell it; you never know with these people.
They have most of the MSM and all of social media in their pockets and the disinformation campaigns for the election haven’t even started yet!
Re: "Indeed, the American people don’t seem to have been too impressed by Trump’s White House cage circus."
My son likes UFC. He and his buddies go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the fights. I think they're stupid and he's on me all the time about being a hater. Well, haters gonna hate, as they say. Yeah, no, I don't find ass-kicking contests entertaining.
He called me last night, asking if I was going to watch the thing on the White House lawn. Wasn't planning on it. My wife turned it on, just to see what was going on.
I damn near vomited. Everything was wrong with this. It WAS an ass-kicking contest, first of all. American servicemen SALUTED these idiots as they came down the carpet. THEY stood at attention and saluted THEM! What the hell is that! And the ads. They were selling Trump coins! Trump coins! The President of the United States was selling crap to the American people from the White House lawn! And Bud Light and gambling sites and all kinds of crap.
The thing was on Paramount+. Because I have college-age kids, I spend, roughly, $4.8 billion/month on streaming services, so we have that. But this is what gets me. I pay taxes for that lawn. I ought to be able to see what's going on on it for free and so should everyone else. But no. You gotta pay to watch the ass-kicking.
And then all those bullet-headed idiots, Dana White and Joe Rogan and the rest of them, cashing in. Big smiles from those dudes. They could hear the checks clearing the banks. And from the White House lawn.
The ass-kickers, bouncing around inside the White House too, looking like J6'ers.
I lasted less than 10 minutes. I couldn't stand it. A cage match on the White House lawn, surrounded by trailer trash.
I read something in the Washington Post this morning about how it's okay for Real America to get some of their stuff once in a while after having to watch all those poets and cellists and other boring crap for all these years at the White House. Wrong. There have been plenty of sports stars at the White House and those visits are appropriate. But an ass-kicking contest? With corporate sponsorship? Yesterday they were doing motorcycle stunts out there. What's next? A monster truck rally? Mud wrestling? Demolition Derby? All sponsored by Porn Hub?
This was all just so wrong.
You really need to watch Idiocracy. It's kinda like a documentary from the near future. Except President Camacho is actually smarter than drump.
And has a more likable personality.
Yes, he's just dumb. Unlike Trump, Camacho actually cares about other people and he isn't deliberately mean.
It was supposed to be 500 years into the future.
I realize that...but it is now a "near-future" documentary as we are almost there. Bring on the Brawndo.
I keep thinking I've seen that movie, but I'm not sure. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll try to check it out.
I swear I was reading "ass-kissing" for most of your comment before I realized my mistake. Ten minutes of that cage match is a long time but I appreciate you sharing what you saw. This is our so-called culture war at its most basic. Two or three or more seemingly contradictory things can be true: we are a nation who loves our blood sports AND a nation who loves our concerts and our poets. Some of us think that violent blood sports are not a healthy pastime. Some of us think cellists are boring. It would have been nice to have been asked: Who/what should represent us? What image do we want to project to the world for our 250th birthday? But this, as you say, is all wrong.
One thing did hearten me, though. My son called me after it was over, laughing his head off. He thought it was the dumbest thing he'd ever seen. He said it was a South Park episode. He thought it was the most mockable thing he'd ever seen and I suspect, in the media world he inhabits, which is Instagram and TikTok and that kind of thing, it's being mocked this morning.
So, even the demographic it was aimed at thought it was stupid ... and not in a good way.
This IS heartening. I like to believe that people don't like being used, don't like being conned and don't really like being pandered to. Your son makes me feel better about it all. Thanks!
The movie Idiocracy was a documentary.
You stated:
"The thing was on Paramount+. Because I have college-age kids, I spend, roughly, $4.8 billion/month on streaming services, so we have that."
I burst out laughing because that's how we were with our college kids.
The bad news:
After they leave college and have their own jobs and families, you will still be paying $4.8 billion/month because you will be addicted and/or have FOMO if you lose a stream
Well said. I couldn’t have said it better!
It reminded me of Back to the Future Part II—with the Biff Tannen character; they hint he becomes president, amd the dystopia than ensues—with the gambling ads and casinos….you can’t make this sh*t up!…:)
I could not have described it any better. This is humiliating, as well as just plain wrong. If Trump had not fired all the people in charge of ethics and legalities, this would never have been allowed (we can hope).
I saw none of it, watched no clips either, but AP covered some details and I for the first time in a long time, they let me down.
“ We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!)”. And, of course, “I will deliver keynote remarks that you will not want to miss.”
Who wants to tell him?
I'm sure the tens of people who will be there will be riveted.
What a wonderful comment! LOL
The idiot in chief is completely unaware that there has been a July 4th concert on the mall for decades now, followed by fireworks. Said concert has been televised for years. Past concerts have averaged 500,000 people, depending on who's on the concert list. Nothing to do with orange snake. So, is his rally going to usurp a legitimate concert or go on before the really big one?
I didn't think my disgust level could get any higher. But after yesterday's display at the White House and reading that the "winner" shouted that Michele Obama is a man... Disgust is 15 out of 10.
If you stop expecting a bottom, it become a whole lot easier to weather this bullshit. Repulicans are now the party of pedophiles, rapists, and grifters who would murder their grandmother to make a buck. There are hardly more deplorable pieces of shit on this planet.
As we used to say in our house, they would murder their grandmother in Macy's window! If it kept them in Trump's good graces and/or made them some more money. 🤮
His people were 100% there for that.
No way I would have watched.
The United States has lost wars before but this has to be the first time we lost one because the president got bored and wanted to do something else.
Unfortunately we lost it as soon as Iran closed the strait of Hormuz. But I'll agree that we're losing it more badly because Trump is so anxious to leave it behind him. It's the equivalent of declaring bankruptcy - he cuts his losses and others have to pay
How many people would not have died if Harris had been elected?
If you count those we lost when we eliminated USAID, the people who have died and will die bc they lack health insurance now, the lives lost bc we no longer want to invest in medical and scientific research, it’s in the thousands. Djt has blood on his hands. An understatement.
Not to mention the 100,000s of people who died due to his mismanagement of COVID.
Total understatement. He has enough blood on his hands to fill the Reflecting Pool hundreds of times. May he drown in it.
This is a chicken-and-egg scenario. I think he got bored because we lost the war, not the other way around.
The FIFA “Peace Prize.” I am not watching this World Cup competition.
Andrew's article about the contrast between the "real Americas" is powerful.
I'm so proud of the way different cities have welcomed the World Cup teams. I don't think we deserve the honor of hosting the World Cup and FIFA has serious issues (watched a documentary about it on Peacock over the weekend), but the players and fans deserve the warmest welcome we can give them.
And I can't like his comment about the proletariat liking dumb shit enough. 😂
Everybody likes SOME dumb shit! It's the great uniter!
Fair, but conspiracy theories and UFC being dumber than most is a hill I'll die on. (Meanwhile, I'm geeking out that you responded to my comment. 🤩)
To go with that, my three favorite movies are "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Citizen Kane," and "Freddy Got Fi--ered."
A few years ago, John Oliver did a short about FIFA on "Last Week Tonight." That was my introduction to the corruption.
John Oliver is a treasure.
Dumb shit is one thing. Pointless violence as entertainment is another. :-/
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein...
He'll now demand the Arch de Trumpigula as tribute to his gloriously ending the "war" he started.
I hadn't heard "Trumpigula" before. It's a little long but I think it has a good ring to it.
You're right. Saw it somewhere. Just comparing Mafia Don Old to Caligula.
You bet he will.
Trum"pig"ula, I hadn't heard that one before. I love it. I understand you were referencing Caligula, but the "pig" just immediately stood out to me.
Republicans have been sticking knives into "the spirit of republican virtue" since Gingrich came to power in the 1990s. Trump has been merely the coup de grâce.
The stench of Trumpism will stick to the nation for generations, and rightly so. We brought this on ourselves, by not repudiating the man at the ballot box in 2016 (in the Republican primaries and the presidential election), and reaffirming him in 2024. We have no one to blame but ourselves -- the American people. The passiveness in which we have allowed the debasement of our media ecosystem, our willingness to let our nation be taken over by oligarchs, our refusal to confront the structural flaws in the Constitution (which we bizarrely revere as if had been handed down on Sinai), our celebration of ignorance as a virtue, all have led to this moment. We need to stop thinking about restoration -- how to get back to some kind of prelapsarian America -- and start thinking about what should come next, what a new America might look like.
I only hope that when Democrats take over there will be numerous investigations into the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States and that all the evidence will be put on display to show that we are serious about washing that stench away and putting these people behind bars where they belong. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see Trump getting what he deserves.
Our emperor is staging lavish spectacles for his enjoyment while engaging in losing wars on the empire's periphery. If you've read some history, you've seen this before.
One other significant thing happened yesterday that was not discussed. Trump spoke with Putin and perhaps by coincidence Russia launched a deliberate missile attack on one of the oldest, most significant, and beautiful churches in the world, a UNESCO heritage site in Kyiv, the Dormition Cathedral, and a second strike killed a number of firefighters attempting to put out the fires. Beyond outrageous. Please do not forget what has been happening in Ukraine and the continuing war crimes by Russia and Putin. And no, I’m not Ukrainian.
I had not heard about this- one more obscenity committed by Putin.
Makes me wish I believed there really is a Hell. Then I could at least take comfort in the idea that Vlad was going there after death. Sigh.
This all makes me want to vomit and I’m not even hungover.
For those who don't have an Atlantic subscription, and in case Bill's link isn't a gift one: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/trump-iran-deal/687547/?gift=6ICK1NhO1tuSUNO7V_Ru-kUcAkuINnvmHRe5zBxdfPM&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share.
Better yet, stick a crowbar in your wallet and subscribe already.
Lawrence, KS is a truly special place. It is the home of the Unbound (formerly Dirty Kanza) ultra-distance gravel bike race. It is impossible to imagine a more welcoming town. I was lucky to do the race in 2018 and rented a home from a local. The good luck card one of the homeowners' children left for me was entirely like that one residents viral clip. Warm, welcoming, and just fundamentally kind. For all the bemoaning about, "what's the matter with Kansas?" Lawrence is proof that a lot is right about Kansas. For anyone who has ever been, I think that the way the town has welcomed the Algerians is entirely unsurprising. Lawrence is one of the most welcoming places I've ever been. Lawrence is "real America" and not because it happens to be in a red state but because it represents a nation that prides itself on being welcoming and proud of its hospitality. If you've never been, the bike race is a treat with some very sane distances in addition to the ultra ones. Lawrence gave me great hope that America wasn't lost to Trumpism in June of 2018, right before the midterms. Let's hope it is a bellwether once again of what America really is all about.
In 2022 the people of Kansas voted for human rights in rejecting a state constitutional amendment banning a woman's right to choose her health care- so affection and respect from me. Other stuff too.
I feel like the Iran deal is just another one of Trump's bankruptcies. And I have a hard time seeing anything really getting negotiated now that Trump has declared victory. Only the utterances are important, not the actual actions. He has spoken and it is thus so.
watching old bone spurs live w/Macron ( the leader of the free world ) he just said it is a very important document, and of course mentioned that Obama's was not a very important document, so the assinine human will get to dine at Versailles
Ugh!! Unfortunately Trump must still be appeased and humored despite his decline. I would hope to see more push back to his face at the summit, though.