Saturday, December 31, 2022

New Year's Celebrations Around The World

 

Ringing in 2023 around the world.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tweets Of The Day

 

2022 ends with lump of coal in the Malignant Loser's sock -- 

 

 


Yes, it's shocking, shocking! to learn that the Malignant Loser lied -- 



Memo to Special Counsel Jack Smith --  



We can't wait to see how it's going to end, too -- 



Voting rights defender Marc Elias, American hero --  



Easy Qevin, MTG might be armed. We already know she's dangerous --



Portrait of war criminal Vladimir Putin with his SS guard behind him -- 


 


"North Korea" rejects smalldickenergy Andrew Tate, boyfriend Nigel Farage -- 



 

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Chris Britt, gocomics.com)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Ed Wexler, caglecartoons.com)

(Joe Heller, hellertoon.com)

(Darrin Bell, Counterpoint)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland Herald, VT)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Robert Ariail, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, SC)


(Ellis Rosen, @EllisRosen)


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

For Republican House, What's Old Is New

 



If there's one thing that the Republican / Seditionist / Forced Birth / Shooters party has shown from the 2020 and 2022 elections it's that they never learn. The right-wing Trumpist cult that rules the party is in control, albeit of a weakened party that the voters have rejected in two national elections as being too radical and beholden to their cult leader. It's through gerrymandering Congressional districts to tilt toward them and passing restrictive voting laws that target Dem populations that they're able to survive.

As an example of their refusal to learn from their failures, House Republican whip Rep. Steve Scalise (Sedition - LA) has issued a letter listing bills that they'll introduce that do nothing but stir up their base and enflame their culture warriors. It's primarily about forced birth, immigrant bashing and protecting the wealthy from IRS scrutiny, helping the gun lobby among other hobby horses of the far right. Aside from their legislation, which will quickly die in the Dem-controlled Senate, expect them to engage in Benghazi ! BENGHAZI !! - style hearings with the sole purpose of attacking President Biden and his family, and anyone that they can manufacture a phony, base-pleasing issue over (watch out Merrick Garland, FBI, Alejandro Mayorkas, retired Dr. Fauci, etc.). You won't hear anything from them on the Malignant Loser's tax abuse / fraud, or any scandal involving their rotted out party members (you can relax George Santos), much less any legislation that doesn't advance their reactionary hard-right views. 

So in with the old and out with the new, as Republican wingnuts push ahead with their extreme agenda, hopefully resulting in electoral defeat in 2024 in a voter backlash.

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Long Ago And Far Away

 

Scenes from rural Ireland in the 1930's, including pastoral scenes, weaving, and distilling some Irish hootch.

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Friday, December 30, 2022

QOTD -- What's That Musk-y Smell (Literally)?

 

"Last week, Twitter got rid of the cleaning staff at its New York offices and 10 people from corporate security, signaling that it may close one of its two buildings there, said two people familiar with the move.

"At Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, where the company has missed rent payments, Mr. Musk has done the same, consolidating workers onto two floors and closing four. He also canceled janitorial services this month, after those workers went on strike for better wages.

"That has left the office in disarray. With people packed into more confined spaces, the smell of leftover takeout food and body odor has lingered on the floors, according to four current and former employees. Bathrooms have grown dirty, these people said. And because janitorial services have largely been ended, some workers have resorted to bringing their own rolls of toilet paper from home..." -- Kate Conger, Ryan Mac, and Mike Isaac, New York Times, on what's gone at Twitter under the childish mismanagement of galaxy brain Chief Twit Elon Musk.  What's next?  Removing the toilets to save on water bills?

This Twit is fast cementing his reputation as the "World's Worst Boss."


Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Tweets Of The Day


Thankful --

 


Papers, please! --

 


Funding the fascists --

 

 

It's a crime --

 


More, please! --

 


Our national treasure --

 

 

A world treasure, R.I.P. --

 

 

We don't think smug smalldickenergy will be tweeting anytime soon (Happy Friday!) --

 

 

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Weekend New Year's Music

 

From his 1974 "Dark Horse" album, George Harrison rings out the old, rings in the new. Among those playing on the record with Harrison are Ringo Starr on drums, Klaus Voorman on bass, Jim Keltner also on drums, Ron Wood on guitar, and Alvin Lee on guitar.  

The video was filmed at Harrison's Friar Park estate where, on this date in 1999, an intruder entered his home and attacked him and his wife Olivia with a knife.  What a world.  

Ring in the New Year!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Two Authoritarians Ringing In The New Year



News that outgoing Brazilian President, far-right thug Jair Bolsonaro, will be at his soulmate's Merdo o' Lardo Florida estate for New Year is par for the authoritarian course. He'll avoid being at the swearing-in of his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, much like the Malignant Loser stayed away from President Biden's inauguration, choosing to sulk and plot his revenge. The New Republic's Prem Thakker reports:

"According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Bolsonaro plans to skip out on officially handing over the presidential sash to Lula, and instead cool his jets at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. The venue is familiar territory for Bolsonaro; he and Trump shared a meal there in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic which both leaders famously bungled (the U.S leads the world in Covid deaths at nearly 1.2 million; Brazil is right behind at nearly 700,000).

A future Zagat guide might describe the resort as the perfect sanctuary for serially-criminal and basically off-putting guys who just cannot fathom that people simply might not want to vote for them again. However, some Bolsonaro insiders claim that his New Year’s Eve destination will actually be an Orlando condominium—a home offered to Bolsonaro by a supporter."  (our emphasis)

Ahh, a sweet exile in Orlando, perhaps while he plots his return / coup. He can compare notes with the Malignant Loser as his low-energy campaign unravels and he deals with indictments from all directions in 2023. Happy New Year losers!

(photo: Thugs meet in March 2020/ Jim Watson, AFP Getty)

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Trump's Taxes Released Today

 

Six years of the personal and business taxes of the Malignant Loser will be released to the public today by the House Ways and Means Committee, after the Malignant Loser fought desperately to hide them. From the Associated Press:

"Trump’s tax returns are likely to offer the clearest picture yet of his finances during his time in office.

Trump, known for building skyscrapers and hosting a reality TV show before winning the White House, broke political norms by refusing to make public his returns as he sought the presidency — though he did give some limited details about his holdings and income on mandatory disclosure forms.

Instead, Trump has touted his wealth in the annual financial statements he gives to banks to secure loans and to financial magazines to justify his place on rankings of the world’s billionaires."

From bits of information released so far, it's clear that the Malignant Loser conned the taxpayers by claiming highly inappropriate deductions, paying little or no taxes for years, and actually getting refunds based on his sketchy filings. There's also evidence of "charity" gifts that were never made or overstated. One fact that has been revealed already is that the IRS, under a Trump appointee, didn't do the legally required audits of his taxes while he was in office, something that each President before him did going back to Nixon. The Malignant Loser continuously lied about being audited which he claimed prevented him from having his taxes released. The breadth of taxes released should provide investigators with evidence of cheating year after year, and a potential roadmap to prosecution.

BONUS: Trump tax stalker David Kay Johnson has more details about what we know. Here's the Committee's earlier report on Trump's taxes.

 

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , ,

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Kickboxer Who Fail-Trolled Greta Thunberg Arrested For Human Trafficking And Rape (UPDATED)



Looks like Andrew Tate has bigger problems now than being nut- punched by Greta Thunberg:

Romanian prosecutors said on Thursday they have detained divisive internet personality and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.

Tate, banned from many social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, and his brother Tristan will be detained for 24 hours alongside two Romanian suspects, prosecutors from the anti organised-crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.

The Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation since April.

They declined to comment but their lawyer confirmed they had been detained.

"The four suspects ... appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost," prosecutors said.

"They would have gained important sums of money."

Prosecutors said they had found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.

Tate has said women are partially responsible for being raped and that they belong to men.

Earlier this week, the British national was told to get a life by climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with "enormous emissions."

Greta has some powerful karmic mojo!

UPDATE:  Turns out his attempt to save face after Greta's acclaimed nut- punch led to his arrest.  Well done, smalldickenergy man!

UPDATE II:

 

 

UPDATE III:

 

 

(Photo:  don't mess with Greta, smalldickenergy man/ Getty Images)

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

QOTD -- The Party Of Trump

 

"Lost in the 'Catch Me If You (Oh, you already did!)' tale of George Santos is what it says about how infected the Republican Party is with Trumpism. Santos may be a pathological liar in his own right, but Trump developed the party faithful’s taste for liars and for shameless lying. That craving will outlast Trump. He’s modified the party’s DNA to match his, and Santos, Kari Lake, Team Kraken, and the rest of MAGA world suggest he’s replicating himself.

"Is it any coincidence that Santos named his firm the Devolder Organization just as Donald Trump did with his?" --  Tom Sullivan, Hullabaloo, asking "Is Trump Replicating Himself?"  Sullivan answers himself:  it's already happened, and it's called the Republican/ Seditionist Party.

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tweets of the Day

 

Lying liar's legal woes news -- 


 


Desperate times require desperate, pathetic measures -- 



On Speaker wannabe Kevin "Qevin" McCarthy's deals with the devils -- 



Crashes aren't just limited to Tesla stock -- 

 


When your flight is cancelled, remember this -- 



Sending best wishes for recovery to the heroic Rep. Jamie Raskin -- 



Russian missiles fired, Russian missiles downed --  



"I'll lick that plate for you!" -- 

 


 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)


(Jimmy Margulies, jimmymargulies.com)


(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Lalo Alcaraz, LA Weekly)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Ann Telnaes, Washington Post)

(Dave Granlund, politicalcartoons.com)

(Tim Campbell, Counterpoint)

(Bart van Leeuwen, Oedipoes.com)

(Jeff Koterba, caglecartoons.com)

(Asher Perlman, @asherperlman)


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Bibi's Ominous Return




Disgraced former Israeli Prime Minister and Trump ally Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu's far right, ultra religious coalition is set to take power today, as a result of winning a majority of seats in the Knesset in Israel's November elections. With him, he'll be bringing a assortment of ultranationalist firebrands and zealous religious advocates who are positioned to enact some of the harshest policies toward Palestinians and, many say, toward democracy. From the Associated Press:

"Netanyahu’s new government has pledged to prioritize settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, extend massive subsidies to his ultra-Orthodox allies and push for sweeping reform of the judicial system that could endanger the country’s democratic institutions. [snip]

Netanyahu heads a government comprised of a hard-line religious ultranationalist party dominated by West Bank settlers, two ultra-Orthodox parties and his nationalist Likud party.

His allies are pushing for dramatic changes that could alienate large swaths of the Israeli public, raise the risk of conflict with the Palestinians, and put Israel on a collision course with some of its closest supporters, including the United States and the Jewish American community."  (our emphasis)

Netanyahu's coalition has made it clear that, in time, the claims of the Palestinians to the West Bank will be vacated, and the territory absorbed into Israel, previous agreements and treaties notwithstanding:

"Netanyahu’s government published its platform, which stated that 'the Jewish people have exclusive and indisputable rights' over the entirety of Israel and the Palestinian territories and will advance settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. That includes legalizing dozens of wildcat outposts and a commitment to annex the entire territory, a step that would draw heavy international opposition by destroying any remaining hopes for Palestinian statehood and add fuel to calls that Israel is an apartheid state if millions of Palestinians are not granted citizenship."  (our emphasis)

His resemblance to the Malignant Loser is striking, minus the stupidity and buffoonish behavior. On an international level, Netanyahu not only has a close relationship with the Malignant Loser, but he's cultivated warm relations with other authoritarians like Russian war criminal Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's murderous Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman, relations that are likely to deepen. He still has bribery and corruption charges hanging over his head from his previous term in office, something that he may succeed in overturning. The next couple of years in the Middle East with Netanyahu forging ahead with his regressive policies, coupled with Iran's sinister alliance with Putin, should be of real concern to the U.S.

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Paranoid Putin's Purge



Ex-KGB war criminal Putin's on-going purge of enemies and potential rivals continues:

General Alexei Maslov, who was in charge of the Russian ground forces between 2004 and 2008, passed away “suddenly”, the Uralvagonzavod machine building company said. 

The tank manufacturer did not elaborate further. 

He died on Christmas Day, one day after Putin was reportedly due to visit the tank factory in Nizhny Tagil but cancelled at the last minute. 

No official reason was given for the sudden decision to scrap the trip. The sudden death will only fuel speculation surrounding deaths of notable Russians throughout 2022. 

So, let's do our part to fuel speculation:  could it be that the visit to Gen. Maslov's tank factory was cancelled because of an assassination attempt/ coup plot that Putin got wind of?  Was Maslov involved in a conspiracy to remove Putin?  Or was it all in Putin's paranoid mind?

We've seen other prominent Russians die suddenly under "suspicious circumstances," including:

Recently, Alexander Buzakov, who was the director of an organisation building new submarines, died aged 65. 

And it has emerged that Pavel Antov, a businessman who ran a meat production firm, fell out of a window on the third floor of a luxury hotel in India, where he was staying ahead of his 66th birthday. 

He had previously criticised Russian missile attacks on Ukraine as “terrorism” before later claiming his WhatsApp post was sent by someone else, and insisting he supported Putin and the objectives of the war.

Indian police said they believed he may have taken his own life after his friend died in the same hotel, while Russia’s consul-general in Calcutta insisted there was nothing suspicious about the death. 

Other businessman said to have been critical of Putin or the war have died in recent months – with some suggesting foul play. 

Among them was Mikhail Watford, who was found dead at his home in Surrey, and Ravil Maganov, the chairman of energy giant Lukoil, who apparently fell from a window of a hospital in Moscow.

Wikipedia is keeping a list of Russian businessmen who've met mysterious deaths since the beginning of 2022.  It's up to 22 as of today.  Ukraine has been highly successful in ridding the world of Russian generals since Putin's genocidal war was launched.  That number is up to 8.

Putin's genocidal war in Ukraine is hollowing out both the Russian military and the Russian economy, and people with a major stake in them could objectively be seen as threats to Putin remaining in power.  Add to that Putin's paranoia and you have an extremely volatile situation that could make it more likely that someone in his circle may feel they're in Putin's cross-hairs and may decide to preempt him.  Perhaps that was Maslov's thinking, but Putin beat him to the punch.

In Putin's case, it's the worst- of- all- worlds- Catch- 22:  "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you."

(Photo:  paranoid much?/ AP)


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Hasta La Vista "Shooters Grill"

 


Far-right gun fetish extremist Rep. Lauren "Bobo" Boebert (Sedition-CO), who won reelection by the narrowest of margins in November, was known for her ownership of a dump called "Shooters Grill" in the appropriately-named Rifle, CO.  The wait staff had to wear holstered guns, and customers were also encouraged to wear guns in the restaurant as a sign of both the recklessness and stupidity of the owner. It looks like the dump is getting a permanent makeover:

"In July, Shooters Grill closed its doors for good after the landlord did not renew its lease, according to a tweet from Boebert. The New York Times also noted that the landlord also booted the congresswoman's campaign office which was located next door to the location. 

Boebert said in her tweet that 'this decision was his to make and was purely a business decision with no political motivation.'

Boebert's office did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Wait for it, wait for it..... 

Now that Boebert's restaurant has shuttered, it appears that its location is going to be filled by a Mexican restaurant, Tapatios Family Mexican Restaurant, which now has emblazoned its 'coming soon' sign on the premises' front window."  (our emphasis)

The irony is especially joyous, given that Boebert was one of the most virulent anti-immigrant Trumpists in Congress, supporting his ineffective and racist border wall. She frequently characterized the immigrants as "rapists, drug dealers and criminals," echoing cult leader Trump's ugly language. Perhaps the new ownership of the family restaurant will offer a "Boebert burrito" on the menu: an empty, stale tortilla.

(photo: Boebert, far right literally, and her armed servers. Ryan Hoffman / Citizen Telegram)

 

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels:

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Jeff Stahler, gocomics.com)

(Clay Jones, claytoonz.com)

(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

(Kevin Kallaugher, The Economist, London)

(Lee Judge, @leejudge8)

(Marshall Ramsey, Mississippi Today)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Martyn Turner, Irish Times, Dublin)

(Liana Finck, The New Yorker)


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Tweets Of The Day

 

The "two-bit criminal and grifter job security" of George Santos' Republican Party --

 


Oy!  Not so much.  But, you still have the largest un-American, seditious caucus in 246 years --


 

What's that Musk-y smell?  Arab autocrat/ Chinese crypto financing -- 


 

Translated from the Russian --

 


Shade --

 


Hope for the future? --

 

 

Greta Thunberg kicks kickboxer's trolling ass --

 


Please read this story about human kindness and decency --

 

 

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Mid-Week Song

 

We almost let December pass without featuring one of our favorite "winter-named" groups: Bon Iver (from the French "bon hiver" or good winter). Group founder Justin Vernon has made his mark not only with the band, but as a featured contributor and composer for such diverse artists as Jay-Z, James Blake, Bruce Hornsby, Japanese House, and Taylor Swift. Here, he teams with LA-based indie pop singer / composer Ethan Gruska on "So Unimportant," a non-album single released earlier this year. Enjoy.



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Liar Santos And His Financial Disclosure Statement




Lying fraudster Rep.-elect George "Liar-ish" Santos (R-NY) is on the apology tour for making up his entire resume, including the fact that he's not, as he put it, "Jew-ish." The family history, the education, the work experience, the properties he supposedly owned, all were blatant lies ("embellishments" as he called them to downplay it). 

However, it appears that there's more to the scandal in the way of the financial disclosure statement that's required by Federal law, and false statements are punishable under the law. As we've seen, Santos is a pathological liar, so why would such statements be beyond his lying. Brendan Buck, a Republican aide to former Speaker John Boehner, explained the situation with his financial disclosure statements on MSNBC this morning:

"You have to file that when you run for office. He ran before, he ran two years ago and apparently filed that he had no accounts or assets worth more than $5,000. This time around, it was apparently worth around $11 million or $12 million. Where did that happen? Where did that come from? Is that true?

Filing a false financial disclosure is actually a crime. The ethics committee is absolutely going to look at this, I think law enforcement may look at this. The other thing is, he apparently loaned his committee $700,000 from himself. Where did he get $700,000? There's a lot of really interesting questions that we haven't gotten to the bottom of."

It's unlikely that Santos has an honest answer for any of this, and he can't dispute what he's sworn to in black and white. As far as law enforcement is concerned, the New York Attorney General's office is reviewing Santos' records for any State law for any violations, and appropriate Federal agencies are likely also looking into his financial disclosure statements by now (see here).  However, the odds of a House ethics committee review under the Speakership of Kevin "Qevin" McCarthy are vanishingly small, as he's trying to hold a slim majority and not offend his corrupt and radical caucus, who won't want distractions from "investigating" Hunter Biden's laptop.

(photo: "I'm an <airquote> 'honest' guy!"/ European Pressphoto Agency)

 

Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: ,

QOTD -- Genocidal Russia

 

"War is chaotic, inexplicable and devastating to children caught up in it. But war is not an excuse to abduct children from parents and their nation, as Russia is now doing in Ukraine. This is specifically prohibited by the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia — and attempts to brainwash them, removing their language and culture — is a genocidal crime that calls for prosecution.  [snip]

"While the number of children taken is not clear, Daria Herasymchuk, Ukraine’s top children’s rights official, has estimated that nearly 11,000 Ukrainian children have been taken by Russia without their parents.  [snip]

"Russia, successor to the Soviet Union, is a party to the genocide convention. But Mr. Putin has shown little regard for international laws or norms of any kind in his war to wipe out Ukraine’s democracy and its people. He and the other Russian officials complicit in genocidal crimes against children should be held to account." -- Washington Post editorial board today.   The editorial also links to an article about how Ukrainians are trying to recover their abducted children.

There's nothing more evil than what war criminal Putin and his henchmen are doing to these children and their families.  It's a calculated policy of torture and genocide being conducted in concert with Russian targeting of civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine. These goddamn bastards must never be allowed to escape justice.


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?



Article lede from BBC:

"Chinese people have rushed to book overseas travel after Beijing announced it would reopen its borders next month."

The lifting of overseas travel restrictions comes on the heels of the Chinese government's decision to cease publishing daily COVID data, after reports of big spikes in cases. More here.

Maybe if they book on Southwest Airlines, things won't be so bad.

(photo: Daxing International Airport, Beijing. Reuters)

 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Matt Davies, Newsday)


(Tim Campbell, Counterpoint)

(Ed Wexler, caglecartoons.com)

(Joe Heller, hellertoon.com)

(Jimmy Margulies, jimmymargulies.com)

(Rob Rogers, Counterpoint)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Marc Murphy, Louisville Courier-Journal, KY) 

(Chris Britt, gocomics.com)


(Paul Noth, The New Yorker)


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)