The UK is having an election on our national holiday?

Good for them, I’d personally rather forget about the US for at least a day.* So get in there and throw the rascals out!

Meanwhile, William Hogarth shows us what elections were like a few hundred years ago. Nothing has changed!

*I know my mother would rather ignore today — her house is next to an Indian reservation that sells fireworks, and the noise & chaos starts in June. She’s in the hospital now, I hope her room is soundproofed, and that she gets out soon, after the nightly explosions die down.

We’ve been winning?

Uh-oh. The villains are monologuing.

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, is gloating over the Supreme Court decision to enable an imperial presidency.

…let me speak about the radical left. You and I have both been parts of faculties and faculty senates and understand that the left has taken over our institutions. The reason that they are apoplectic right now, the reason that so many anchors on MSNBC, for example, are losing their minds daily is because our side is winning.

And so I come full circle on this response and just want to encourage you with some substance that we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Funny, I don’t think the Left has been winning at any time in my lifetime. After Reagan and Bush I and Bush II and Trump we’re supposed to believe we’ve been triumphing because we managed to elect a couple of centrist presidents who had to struggle against a mostly conservative congress? US politics have been biased by the influence of big money.

It’s interesting that Roberts, after singing the praises of the Sacred Constitution and suggesting this decision was a natural evolution of the Federalist papers, compares the decision to the American Revolution. Wasn’t that a time when the old rules and the old government were completely overthrown? You can’t simultaneously claim nothing is different and call it a revolution.

Then, that not-so-veiled threat: the revolution will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be. Surrender, puny Leftists! If you oppose us, our response will be bloody and crushing.

The shocking thing is that they’re gleefully promising this destruction for the benefit of a dim-witted con artist.

The Claremont Institute is also gloating!

Americans are growing angry with the regime’s unending train of abuses. Perhaps without intending to do so, Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg, Tanya Chutkan, Arthur Engoran, Juan Merchan, Letitia James, and scores of others have wagered everything—their property, their careers, their reputations, and their liberty—on the regime’s retention of power. They are “all in” as the saying goes. If the regime wins, they will win. But if Trump wins, we should expect that some of the worst perpetrators of the regime’s lawlessness will be held to account. An example will be made. If any of them retain their positions or end up with cushy private sector gigs, you’ll know what you need to know about the regime’s retention of power.

There are now only two paths forward: either the regime will solidify its power in November or Trump will be elected. If the former, we will descend further into the regime’s totalitarian grip. If the latter, unpleasant things will have to be done to hold people to account—people who attacked our constitutional republic by refusing to recognize limits on their exercise of power over us. In this respect, Trump’s claim that the regime is really after you and he’s just “standing in their way” is correct.

Note: the “regime” they are talking about is Biden’s, if that wasn’t clear.

Three cartoons

This first one is blunt and all-too accurate.

The second one is cynical and will reinforce my disappointment in humanity.

The third one is horrible and supports the disappointment I have…and also needs some explanation.

That’s by Michael Ramirez, far-right flaming nutjob and actually talented cartoonist, who is cheering the Supreme Court in the Chevron v. NRDC case, in a decision called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. He thinks it was a good thing, because he’s insane. Loper Bright chopped off the whole idea of an informed government that listened to the evidence and paid attention to experts.

The Supreme Court fundamentally altered the way that our federal government functions on Friday, transferring an almost unimaginable amount of power from the executive branch to the federal judiciary. By a 6–3 vote, the conservative supermajority overruled Chevron v. NRDC, wiping out four decades of precedent that required unelected judges to defer to the expert judgment of federal agencies. The ruling is extraordinary in every way—a massive aggrandizement of judicial power based solely on the majority’s own irritation with existing limits on its authority. After Friday, virtually every decision an agency makes will be subject to a free-floating veto by federal judges with zero expertise or accountability to the people. All at once, SCOTUS has undermined Congress’ ability to enact effective legislation capable of addressing evolving problems and sabotaged the executive branch’s ability to apply those laws to the facts on the ground. It is one of the most far-reaching and disruptive rulings in the history of the court.

This corrupt court is just that bad. I always thought that the Roger Taney court was the gold standard for a bad court that led the USA into self-destruction, thanks to the Dred Scott decision, but the Roberts court is giving ol’ Roger a run for the money…although at least John Roberts hasn’t denied the humanity of a large chunk of the citizenry, yet. You know he’d love to.

As if to illustrate the point that government should pay heed to scientific input, the Court also ruled against the EPA last week, and their opinion made multiple errors of scientific fact.

Justice Gorsuch’s opinion refers five times to “nitrous oxide” (aka laughing gas) rather than the entirely different chemical compound — smog-causing “nitrogen oxides” — actually at issue in the case.

But OK, the Supreme Court will never again be troubled by basic chemistry. Some people think this is a good thing, and they’re the same people who think it’s great that Donald Trump is above the law (who is already trying to use the Supreme Court decision to overturn his 34-count conviction in New York).

Are you ready for the 4th of July?

To celebrate our independence from kings, the Supreme Court has declared the president to be a king. At least, that is, when he’s a Republican.

Sotomayor dissents. She’s one of the 3 patriots left on the court.

We’re going to have to tear this court down someday soon. It is absurd that the supreme arbiter of the law in this land is run by people who are appointed for life, with no ethics regulation at all.

Rural American values

Believe me, they suck. A corporation, Tractor Supply Co., has announced some revisions to their policy.

Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business. For instance, this means we will:

  1. No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign
  2. Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business
  3. Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns
  4. Eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment
  5. Withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts

Human rights? Unamerican. Fuck pride, we gotta support our veterans (who are all heterosexual, of course). Why support diversity, there are plenty of straight white men we can hire. Global climate change, we’re not worried that that will affect local land and water.

Short-sighted and stupid and selfish, those are core rural values.

Joe must go

It used to be that the big political conventions were NOT PR sessions in which the Chosen One was anointed — the convention was where it was decided who would represent the party. There was back-room wheeling and dealing, the party leaders would negotiate and make promises, it was an ugly opportunity for corruption, and it might completely disregard the will of the people settled in primaries and caucuses.

I think we need to bring that kind of convention back.

In the debate last night, Joe Biden demonstrated that he’s not fit to run the country. Trump is worse, but pitting a doddering old man against a lying sleaze monster is no way to decide how to run a country. Both sides of that “debate” were disgracefully bad and an embarrassment to the USA. In August, the Democratic National Convention will meet in August, and it’s expected to be a rubber stamp event. “Democrats will rally around Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ nomination for President and Vice President of the United States,” says the DNC…but what if they don’t? What if all the representatives from around the country get together with their mandate to present policies favored by the people and then choose the best person to stand for office? That’s not an unusual way for political systems to work.

I’m with Jon Stewart on the debate. I watched it with an increasingly appalled feeling, and was angry by the end of it. Neither of those men should have any power. Trump needs to be in prison, while Biden needs to retire to a rocking chair on his porch.

I’m also pissed off by the incompetence Biden demonstrated after the debate.

Asked by a reporter how he thought he did during Thursday’s night debate during a post-game stop at a Waffle House in Atlanta, President Joe Biden said, “I thought we did well.”

No, Joe. You did very, very poorly.

I agree with Mehdi Hasan: Joe Biden has to go. We need a brokered convention in August.

You know, another bonus to doing that is that it would kill these long drawn-out ridiculous horse races that start a few years before the election. Make the final selection in August, and the campaign season begins then and ends in November.

I shouldn’t be watching the debate

But here I am. For sure, no one jacked up Biden on drugs before this thing started. He’s coming off as slow, old, and fumbling.

Meanwhile, Trump just lies and exaggerates, while Biden looks on like he’s stunned. Debates don’t get fact-checked apparently.

Not looking good.

Trump couldn’t answer any question, except with lies, and he was constantly turning every response into claims about immigration. The only problem we have is millions of people pouring over the border, apparently. It was most glaring when he was asked about climate change and he had nothing to say except immigration, immigration, immigration.

Fucking Christ. Trump brought up his “cognitive test” again — those things only assess a minimal level of function. He did not “ace” them. You can’t ace that kind of test.

Biden was competent in his policy answers, but dear god, he is reinforcing the idea that he’s old.

Final impression is that in Trump’s world, America is failing and is on the brink of WWIII, while Biden is planning to be a caretaker president, a bureaucrat coasting to the retirement. The whole affair was uninspiring, and there was not one spark of charisma anywhere.

Speaking of caretakers coasting to the end, Bash and Tapper were pointless and ineffectual — there was no moderation to speak of.

I hate debates.

Do I need to buy a gun?

I’ve never owned a gun. I’ve never wanted one, and am actively repelled by the idea of having one in the house. I think my wife is even more opposed to the idea.

But we have this presidential debate coming up this week, and I’m not optimistic about the outcome. I’m not concerned that Trump might triumph, but that it won’t matter. We know that Trump and his campaign are making pre-emptive excuses, against a backdrop of fanatical Trump cultists who will announce him either the winner (no matter what) or if he’s beaten, that the game was rigged or Biden cheated or that Satan fooled everyone. There will be no resolution. It’s going to be a trial run for the big event in November, a mere 5 months from now.

Various right-wingers have been gleefully predicting civil war for years now. The mob still claims that Trump actually won. We had a practice insurrection on January 6th a few years ago. Imagine if Trump loses a second time — the fury of aggrieved MAGA assholes will flare up all across the country. I live in the middle of red rural America, part of a liberal university that will focus their hate, I can picture the seething rage that will rise up.

Even worse is if Trump somehow wins. He is already announcing the suspension of the rule of law and purges…and we know that education and teaching will be targeted. He loves the uneducated! I don’t want to even think about his attitude towards atheists, and how we’d be such an easy sacrifice for him to make.

So I’ve been thinking about defending myself. I might nail a few doors shut in October to make the house a little less vulnerable. I’ve got a great big picture window in the living room, will I need to board it up like a hurricane is on the way? Should I get a handgun? Or would it be more likely to be turned against us? I could probably fortify the basement fairly easily, since it has only one entrance…but that could turn it into a trap.

You can tell I’m not optimistic about the coming Fall. Maybe what I should do is pack everything up and move to Norway…or maybe Canada.