POKING AROUND ON FUCKED UP FRIDAY

Selma Alabama, March 7, 1965

There are 606 days to the mid terms and the GOP will drive us off the cliff a week from today - don’t bet against that happening. Yesterday, Elmo announced that he had terminated the lease for the Obama Presidential Library site, because of course. Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Maladministration II, was recently quoted in the NYT: “This is the greatest pressure put on intellectual life since the McCarthy era. I think it’ll be seen in the future, as that time was seen, as a time when people either stood up for their values or ran in fear of the federal government.” As someone old enough to have been young enough to be there and see first-hand what Dr. Roth speaks of, I have to agree.

From the Department of History I Thought We Won: Today is the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. Peaceful civil rights protesters who supported the right of Black people to vote marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to be met with violence from state troopers, some on horseback wielding whips. The protesters were gassed with tear gas beaten to the ground. Among the seriously injured was future Georgia Congressman John Lewis, whose skull was fractured. He was hospitalized along with 16 others and was lucky to survive. Not everyone who marched that day did. In August 1965, following these and other events in Selma, LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act. Silly me, I thought even with the Supreme Court gutting the VRA in Shelby v Alabama that this was a victory that would continue to be recognized. But it turns out the Unreconstructed Confederacy still exists, and is still dedicated to resurrecting Jim Crow America, and 77 million Homo Sap white Americans voted last November for that battle to continue because the price of eggs!

From the Department of Kudos to Steve Schmidt: You gotta love an epic takedown like this, particularly when it’s done so beautifully using so few words: “The 27-year-old White House press secretary often dons a conspicuous cross, while lying to the American people on behalf of Donald Trump. Married to a 60-year-old MAGA-loving real estate developer, the strident Karoline Leavitt has disgraced herself from her very first utterance behind a podium, where she speaks without credibility, tact or grace on all things, all the time.”

From the Department of Things Really Are This Bad: The NYT article about the increasing silence of Trump critics quotes Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky, author of How Democracies Die: "When you see important societal actors—be it university presidents, media outlets, CEOs, mayors, governors—changing their behavior in order to avoid the wrath of the government, that’s a sign that we’ve crossed the line into some form of authoritarianism.”

From the Department of The Billionaires Continue To Be Spineless And Articial Intelligence Isn’t: The ever-busy Patrick Soon-Shiong, billionaire owner of the neighborhood advertiser formerly known as the LA Times announced this past week that thanks to the Wonders of Technology, he is now able to counter the political biases of his reporters. It’s an AI feature that on its first day wrote a benign account of the history of the KKK to counter an article about the 100th anniversary of the city of Anaheim’s removal of KKK members from their city council. As my scientist father said 70 years ago, “Them that think computers think, don’t!” Think of “AI” as Artifical Unintelligence and you won’t be surprised. I’ve had to deal with ATT’s artificial unintelligence, which this past week decided I was getting too many emails from The Person I Most Want To Communicate With, so it began throwing those emails in the spam folder and I got questions about why wasn’t I responding to the emails? Which reminds me that two years ago, working on a book project for a British magazine, suddenly all the emails from the rest of the project members stopped showing up - until I found them in the spam folder. But never fear, email Artificial Unintelligence will always reliably deliver those offers of Riches Beyond Measure from all those Nigerian Princes, and all the offers to buy the goods of your company from that company in Wherethefuckever.

From the Department of I Can’t Believe This Is Still A Thing: Reuters reports that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is questioning decades of research determining that vaccines do not play a role in autism and is instead launching a large-scale study on the alleged connection. Yes, you’re right, The RFK Who Should Have Been Shot Long Ago is behind this bullshit. When Krasnov pissed on Congress last Tuesday night, he announced this study, and said Masldministration II is looking into the rise of autism in children and “there’s nobody better than Bobby.” For the last damn time, you stupid motherfuckers, AUTISM IS NOT A DISEASE. YOU DO NOT CATCH IT FROM SOMETHING. It is genetic, and most likely comes from both parents having a recessive gene. And no, you dumbfucking over-educated, under-intelligent otherwise-unemployable Yuppiescum, the fact your kid is Autistic does not mean he/she is somehow not the Perfect Offspring of your Perfect Selves. Most of us are smarter than you, and if you were to try and be a Help instead of the Hindrance You Are, with a little extra effort and support with useful classes instead of the normal bullshit, your kid can “find their groove” and follow it to Great Success. Of course, if you do that, they’re going to learn what Worthless Shitheads you are and leave at the first available opportunity and never recognize your Amazing Greatness.

From the Department of Rapid Unplanned Disassembly: Yes, another one of Elmo’s Amazing Exploding Rockets has exploded again. Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up. Funny, I haven’t read any stories about “government rockets” exploding since around 1962. Elmo’s Teenage Mutant Space Geniuses might want to learn how to do more than plug in this or that program to design their next Rocket To Mars. But in the meantime, could we stuff Elmo in the next Starship and let him become part of the flaming debris?

From the Department of Failed Reality TV Stars Still Need Jobs: Alleged Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy sent letters to the CEOs of Amtrak, WMATA and Mayor Muriel Bowser calling out what he described as distracting and unsafe conditions on city roads and transportation systems. In his letter to Mayor Bowser, Secretary Duffy said that he was concerned about public murals, saying they could, "distract from the critical task of safe travel for everyone." He went on: "I request you direct the DDOT director to submit a written report to me within 30 days that identifies all potential areas of roadway non-compliance." The letter comes two days after Mayor Bowser said she would change the name of Black Lives Matter Plaza and remove the BLM mural along 16th Street Northwest, which had been dedicated in the summer of 2020 amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd. Duffy's letter to WMATA CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke focused on crime on the Metro. "I am writing to you regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation's focus on safe travel in the Nation's Capital. To protect the safety of passengers and workers on the D.C. Metro system, WMATA must ensure crime and fare evasion are reduced. Americans deserve to feel safe, especially in our nation's capital. That's why I'm calling on Mayor Bowser and D.C. leaders to crack down on crime in our transit system." I almost feel sorry for Duffy, having to take office after Pete Buttigieg is harder than being Mick Jagger having to go on stage after Tina Turner burned the place down during the 1969 tour. And Sean baby ain’t no Mick.

From the Department of Give ‘Em Hell Congresswoman Stansbury: Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) - who had her “This is NOT Normal” sign ripped out of her hand by a Texican Goatroper Confederate Loser at the Krasnov Piss-off last Tuesday - let loose in a profanity-laced tirade during a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities, slamming Republicans for grilling Democratic mayors on their compliance with the Trump administration’s immigration policy. GOP lawmakers questioned the mayors over their cities’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, while Stansbury took the opportunity to go on the offensive, arguing that Trump had not passed an immigration bill. “It’s total bullshit, absolute bullshit!” she shouted. “They are not making America safer again, and what they are doing is terrorizing immigrant families.” Directly addressing Krasnov, she mocked his failure to deliver on immigration reform: “Here we are Donald Trump, where’s your immigration bill? Oh wait, you don’t have one, that’s right. Because none of this is actually about making America safer.” Memo to the Confederacy: Do. Not. Piss. Off. This. Congressperson.

From the Department of Kicking Dumb Fucking Hillbillies From Missouri In Their Brainless Heads: After former president of the Eagle Forum Legal Defense Office, now acting US Attorney for Washington DC hillbilly dumbfuck Ed Martin warned Georgetown Law School yesterday that the office wouldn’t be hiring any of their graduates unless they got rid of all their “DEI” programs, Dean William Treanor told Martin that the First Amendment prohibits the government from dictating what Georgetown’s faculty teach or how to teach it. Dean William Treanor told acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin that the First Amendment prohibits the government from dictating what Georgetown’s faculty teach or how to teach it. “Given the First Amendment’s protection of a university’s freedom to determine its own curriculum and how to deliver it, the constitutional violation behind this threat is clear, as is the attack on the University’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic institution,” Treanor wrote in a letter addressed to Martin.

From the Department of “First, We Kill All the Lawyers”: Shakespeare’s famous quote has been mis-quoted more times than not. It’s not about lawyers being assholes. The words are spoken by the villain in Richard III, who wants to start a revolution and knows he has to kill the lawyers because they are the defenders of the Rule of Law he wants to destroy. We are in those times again. Krasnov knows he has to fuck up the Defenders of the Law if his fascist revolution is to take power. After doing his best to fuck with Covington & Burling, the law firm that had the temerity to defend Jack Smith against Krasnov’s bullshit, the worthless ignoramus went after another firm, signing an executive order Thursday aimed at stripping security clearances and government ties to Perkins Coie, a major law firm that did work for Democrats during the 2016 campaign.The order directs the attorney general and director of national intelligence to “immediately take steps consistent with applicable law to suspend any active security clearances held by individuals at Perkins Coie, pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.” The order additionally aims to cut off Perkins Coie employees’ access to federal government facilities and to review any contracts the federal government has with the law firm. Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. During that campaign, lawyers at the firm worked with Fusion GPS, which was connected to the Steele dossier. The dossier contained unflattering allegations about Trump and his connections to Russia. Both Perkins Coie lawyers who worked on that case, Marc Elias and Michael Sussmann, left the law firm years ago. “This is an absolute honor to sign,” Krasnov said. “What they’ve done is just terrible. It’s weaponization, you could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again.” A Perkins Coie spokesperson said the firm has reviewed Krasnov’s order. “It is patently unlawful, and we intend to challenge it,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Krasnov’s desire for revenge only reveals him as the worthless piece of shit he has been since the day the doctor slapped his butt, which was ginormous then too.

From the Department of He Really Is A Petty-minded Piece of Shit: You’ll recall Krasnov got some pushback the other week from Janet Mills, the Governor of Maine, when he told her “We are the law” regarding Maine’s refusal to change their laws about trans people. It ended with the governor saying “We’ll see you in court,” which is now going to happen. administration says Maine’s education department violated federal law by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ and women’s sports. The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) notified Maine Gov. Mills and state Attorney General Aaron Frey (both Democrats) in a letter dated Feb. 25 that it had issued a “notice of violation” against the state’s education department for failing to comply with Title IX. The notice found that Maine’s education department violated Title IX by denying girls in the state an equal opportunity to compete in school sports “by allowing male athletes to compete against female athletes in current and future athletic events.” “Male athletes, by comparison, are not subject to heightened safety or competitive concerns, which only affect females. This lack of equal opportunity and fair competition constitutes a Title IX violation,” wrote acting OCR Director Anthony F. Archeval. The Maine Principals Association, which governs high school sports in the state, said last month it would not bar transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity, as an executive order signed February 5 by Krasnov had directed. Governor Mills responded: “I imagine that the outcome of this politically directed investigation is all but predetermined. Maine may be one of the first states to undergo an investigation by his Administration, but we won’t be the last.”

From the Department of MSNBC Management Can Go To Hell: The Daily Beat reported today that Joy Reid’s 7 p.m. show, The ReidOut, which was abruptly canceled late last month as part of a wider shake-up that also saw a series of non-white anchors stripped of their shows by the “liberal”-leaning network (Ten degrees to the left of center in good times, ten degrees to the right of center if it affects them personally) that resulted in Rachel Maddow, its highest-profile journalist, blasting the moves on her own show, was seeing an increase in ratings. While MSNBC management has not specified why the show was dropped, low ratings has been noted as the reason. Audience ratings compiled by Nielsen that are used by news networks to assess success of their shows and the people appearing on them show no signs that Reid was experiencing an audience plunge out of line with her MSNBC co-stars. In fact she and all the other primetime line-up were on an upswing in February. Reid’s show was low-rated between January-June lat year, but ratings since July consistently went up and she had better ratings than Jen Psaki’s show or her competition on DNN. Sicne leaving MSNBC, Reid has started a Substack which was declared a “best seller” yesterday.

From the Department of Whattaya Know, Widdle Marco May Have A Backbone: at the closed cabinet session on Thursday, Marco Rubio blew up at Elmo after the DOGE head accused the secretary of state of failing to slash his staff. Elmo told Rubio that he had fired “nobody,” The New York Times reported. He sarcastically added that the one person Rubio had perhaps fired was an employee of DOGE. Rubio fired back that 1,500 DoS empllyees had taken early retirement and asked Elmo if he should hire them back so DOGE could fire them and take credit for another non-achievement. Elmo also took shots at other Cabinet members, who “returned fire” while Krasnov sat back and watched. After the meeting, Krasnov publicly announced his intention to reign in Elmo. Presidential Fluffer Karoline Leavitt said that “this was a great and productive meeting amongst members of his team to discuss cost-cutting measures and staffing across the federal government. Everyone is working as one team to help President Trump deliver on his promise to make our government more efficient.” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce (she’s still alive?), saids “Secretary Rubio considered the meeting an open and productive discussion with a dynamic team that is united in achieving the same goal: making America great again.” Yes indeed, the beauty parlor is filled with sailors and the circus is in town. The sooner someone takes a baseball bat to the Afrikaner Putz, the better.

You won’t be seeing this again

From the Department of They Are Far More Stupid Than You Can Possibly Imagine: Over at the Pentagon, references to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, and the first women to pass Marine infantry training are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content. The database, which was confirmed by U.S. officials, includes more than 26,000 images that have been flagged for removal across every military branch. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the purge could delete as many as 100,000 images or posts in total, when considering social media pages and other websites that are also being culled for DEI content. The vast majority of the Pentagon purge targets women and minorities, including notable milestones made in the military. In some cases, photos seemed to be flagged for removal simply because their file included the word ”gay,” including service members with that last name and all images of the B-29 aircraft Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. George Gay, sole survivor of Torpedo-8 at Midway, will now be forgotten. Several photos of an Army Corps of Engineers dredging project in California were marked for deletion, apparently because a local engineer in the photo had the last name Gay. Other photos flagged in the database but still visible Thursday included images of the World War II Women Air Service Pilots and one of U.S. Air Force Col. Jeannie Leavitt, the country’s first female fighter pilot. An image of Marine Corps World War II Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. Harold Gonsalves has been removed. Blackout Drunk, er, I mean Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth had given the military until last Wednesday to remove content that highlights diversity efforts in its ranks. If they couldn’t do that by Wednesday, they were told to “temporarily remove from public display” all content published during the Biden administration’s four years in office. Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot said, “We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct components accordingly.” He noted that Hegseth has declared that “DEI is dead” and that efforts to put one group ahead of another through DEI programs erodes camaraderie and threatens mission execution. Hegseth should have been fragged in Afghanistan.

Here’s the good news for today:

From the Department of Democrats in DC Grow Spines: MAGA Mike Johnson has a problem. He can’t pay for Krasnov’s tax cuts for the rich without gutting Medicaid, but House Democrats want assurances that there will be no gutting of Medicaid before they will do anything to help Republicans on any key vote, including keeping the government open. Axios: “With a week until the March 14 government shutdown deadline, Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) wrote that the continuing resolution Republicans are expected to put forth is "not acceptable." “Republicans have decided to introduce a partisan continuing resolution that threatens to cut funding for healthcare, nutritional assistance and veterans benefits through the end of the current fiscal year," they said. The Democratic leaders said they would "enthusiastically support a bill that protects Social Security, Medicare, veterans health and Medicaid," but that "Medicaid is our redline." House Democrats are refusing to vote for any bill unless Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security are protected. House Democrats also want Congress to step in and limit Musk and DOGE. Chuck Schumer has responded by acting like the government can’t be shut down

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