We never see Risch or Crapo in State...no town halls or open forums...stage managed appearances before single issue groups without advance notice is all they ever do. In 2016
"The Trump administration is excluding several major allies from a gathering of NATO members next month — after previous threats to deploy a “naughty and nice list” against governments that have run afoul of the president’s priorities.
The planned meeting in Poland, which Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has spearheaded, is essentially a working group focused on NATO’s future, according to six diplomats familiar with the planning. But many of the countries who didn’t receive an invite — such as the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic countries — are big defense spenders and play key roles in the alliance, leaving their diplomats wondering why they’re being frozen out.
“I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump railed in a Truth Social post this year. Last month, he snubbed another ally — South Korea — by abruptly scaling back a planned joint military exercise while complaining about Seoul’s refusal to join the war against Iran.
In April, as POLITICO first reported, the White House came up with something akin to a who’s-in-and-who’s-out list while it looked for ways to punish allies who didn’t adhere to Trump’s wishes.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has echoed that vision. He has encouraged “model allies” and warned that those that do not support U.S. interests will suffer consequences."
Trump doesn't run NATO. He doesn't get to decide who's invited to NATO meetings. Fuck this fucking fucked up shit. And that includes Kegsbreath's contribution
Jesus he's gonna destroy NATO. The collective heritage foundation/birthers/federalists orgasm will be drowned out by Putin's loud mirthless laughter of triumph.
Cthulhu's Musky Taint . . . My flight from Tampa's been delayed twice, so my connection from Atlanta's been switched to 11pm, the last flight to NW Arkansas. It'll be a race to get my rental before they close, but the zone difference *might* work in my favor.
"Brett McGurk, top Middle East adviser to Biden:, outlined in an interview and in a new memoir called “Brink”:
“Bibi, man, what the fuck are you doing?” Mr. Biden demanded, using the prime minister’s nickname when they got on the phone, as the adviser recalled. “You think I’m Santa Claus? No Santa in Israel, pal.” Mr. Biden said he could cut Israel’s military aid with the snap of a finger.
Mr. Netanyahu started to explain that the strike on the aid workers was a tragic miscommunication. Mr. Biden interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it, Bibi,” he said.
What saved Mr. Netanyahu from Mr. Biden’s wrath, as it turned out, was Iran. Just as the president’s patience was running out, Tehran was poised to launch a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in the largest such attack it had ever carried out. And Mr. Biden, his frustration notwithstanding, stuck with America’s ally and came to Israel’s defense."
I assume he'll control his urge to interrupt the candidate every nanosecond to say, "well, well, well, let's back up for a minute while I treat my viewers like they're 3rd graders, and then I remind everyone for no reason at all that people are innocent until proven guilty"...
WSJ Exclusive | Decades After Watergate, DOJ Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal
"The Justice Department is reviewing whether the special prosecutor’s office that investigated the Watergate break-in committed misconduct, according to people familiar with the matter, more than half a century after that scandal led to Nixon’s resignation."
"President Trump [sic] has doubled down on his pledge to achieve American energy independence by unleashing domestic production and ensuring affordable, reliable energy for every American family and business. This year, executive actions dismantled excessive red tape, federal lands and offshore areas were reopened for development, and approval timelines were accelerated to expand oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear capacity." https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/energy/
* Yet another fucking "security emergency" but this, like most of the other "emergencies" the Pumpkin Orange Pustule has declared this is directly attributable to his asshattery or a figment of his (or possibly one of his advisors/sycophants) imagination.
* Yeah, riiiiight, the US power grid is under attack by hostile foreign nations, just like our electronic voting systems.
* The Fulvous Fuckwad has freed the fossil fuel industry of heinous legislation and rules so they can further destroy the climate in the name of profitability.
* References to nuclear power are nothing but sops and bovine scat. On average it takes between ten and 16 years for a plant to come online: from starting the permit process through sending power through the grid.
* The "excessive red tape" that his buds no longer need to fash themselves over little deets like: environmental impact testing, soil testing, and geotechnical concerns
* If Mad King Donnie is so concerned with increasing "energy independence" then why has he mad it a key part of his agenda to prevent renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal...) from contributing. Other than that his cronies in the fossil fuel industry won't get to sell as much power as they want.
* IDK about anyone else, but I'm not the least interested in seeing federal land opened to the industry, nor do I want to see the ecological disaster that is inevitable with offshore drilling.
* "ensuring affordable, reliable energy" Huh? I've been under the impression that questions regarding the affordability of something was a Dumocrat Hoax!
-----
Just why is there a such concern from the current regime about the power infrastructure? We're currently (pun intended) lacking enough energy to power all of the data centers required for AI... sorry... SI if we're to remain #1:
There is a fly in the ointment to be considered though: a large -- and growing -- number of Americans don't want more data centers built:
> " Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor." https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx
With this in mind I propose a new acronym for this situation; never mind NIMBY we're at NIABY (pronounced with a hard "I" like in night): Not In Anyone's Back Yard.
The State of TN gave the local pro football team $500M four years ago.
Nashville Symphony to Suspend Season Amid ‘Financial Crisis’
80-year-old arts nonprofit’s board votes unanimously on the action as the first step toward overcoming $10 million operating deficit
https://www.nashvillescene.com/music/nashvillecream/nashville-symphony-suspend-2026-2027-season-financial-crisis/article_5f35ae09-bbad-4686-a940-601fc5c4f46f.html
Stupid fuckers. I know several people in that orchestra.
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mwtv43obr62l
There is no global warming, in fact they've just set the record for the biggest ice cube in the world.
This man loves to hear himself speak, any old shit will do.
We never see Risch or Crapo in State...no town halls or open forums...stage managed appearances before single issue groups without advance notice is all they ever do. In 2016
nothing but crickets for fuck ted cruz. if only allred had bothered to run a campaign. . .
https://substack.com/@aaronrupar/note/c-350684824?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2j98wq
I went past a Circle K today. Diesel was $6.66/gallon.
Strange things are afoot.
It's the Devil's diesel!!
I hate when portals to hell open at the gas station and the whole place explodes.
i know i'm the only person that ever watched The Doom Generation.
Some local races are neck and neck and I'll never understand why. The whole party is rotten.
Some necks are very deep red still.
"The Trump administration is excluding several major allies from a gathering of NATO members next month — after previous threats to deploy a “naughty and nice list” against governments that have run afoul of the president’s priorities.
The planned meeting in Poland, which Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has spearheaded, is essentially a working group focused on NATO’s future, according to six diplomats familiar with the planning. But many of the countries who didn’t receive an invite — such as the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic countries — are big defense spenders and play key roles in the alliance, leaving their diplomats wondering why they’re being frozen out.
“I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump railed in a Truth Social post this year. Last month, he snubbed another ally — South Korea — by abruptly scaling back a planned joint military exercise while complaining about Seoul’s refusal to join the war against Iran.
In April, as POLITICO first reported, the White House came up with something akin to a who’s-in-and-who’s-out list while it looked for ways to punish allies who didn’t adhere to Trump’s wishes.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has echoed that vision. He has encouraged “model allies” and warned that those that do not support U.S. interests will suffer consequences."
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/30/trump-nato-allies-left-out-01100310
Trump doesn't run NATO. He doesn't get to decide who's invited to NATO meetings. Fuck this fucking fucked up shit. And that includes Kegsbreath's contribution
Jesus he's gonna destroy NATO. The collective heritage foundation/birthers/federalists orgasm will be drowned out by Putin's loud mirthless laughter of triumph.
That will fail in so many ways.
petty bitches who think they are mob bosses.
It’s not a meeting of OTAN if members are excluded.
We talk about your work, how your boss is a jerk
We talk about your church, and your head when it hurts
We talk about the troubles you been having with your brother
About your daddy and your mother and your crazy ex-lover
We talk about your friends, and the places that you've been
We talk about your skin and the devils on your chin
The polish on your toes and the run in your hose
And god knows we're gonna talk about your clothes
You know talking about you makes me smile
But every once in a while
I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about i
Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, you usually
But occasionally, I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me)
We talk about your dreams, and we talk about your schemes
Your high school team and your moisturizing cream
We talk about your nanny up in Muncie, Indiana
We talk about your grandma down in Alabama
We talk about your guys of every shape and size
The ones that you despise and the ones you idolize
We talk about your heart, 'bout your brain and your smarts
And your medical charts and when you start
You know talking about you makes me grin
But every now and then
I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about i
Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, you usually
But occasionally, I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me, me)
You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you
I wanna talk about me
I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about i
Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, you usually
But occasionally, I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me)
I wanna talk about me (me, me, me, me)
Oh, me (me, me, me, me)
Cthulhu's Musky Taint . . . My flight from Tampa's been delayed twice, so my connection from Atlanta's been switched to 11pm, the last flight to NW Arkansas. It'll be a race to get my rental before they close, but the zone difference *might* work in my favor.
I'm assessing dinner options.
I recommend against trying Cthulhu's Taint unless its been deboned and slow cooked in tallow....
Inside baseball stuff, excerpt from NYT:
"Brett McGurk, top Middle East adviser to Biden:, outlined in an interview and in a new memoir called “Brink”:
“Bibi, man, what the fuck are you doing?” Mr. Biden demanded, using the prime minister’s nickname when they got on the phone, as the adviser recalled. “You think I’m Santa Claus? No Santa in Israel, pal.” Mr. Biden said he could cut Israel’s military aid with the snap of a finger.
Mr. Netanyahu started to explain that the strike on the aid workers was a tragic miscommunication. Mr. Biden interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it, Bibi,” he said.
What saved Mr. Netanyahu from Mr. Biden’s wrath, as it turned out, was Iran. Just as the president’s patience was running out, Tehran was poised to launch a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in the largest such attack it had ever carried out. And Mr. Biden, his frustration notwithstanding, stuck with America’s ally and came to Israel’s defense."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/us/politics/mcgurk-biden-netanyahu-gaza.html
I cry whenever I recall what a damned good president looks like.
I usually mute Ari, but he's got Al-Sayed on.
I assume he'll control his urge to interrupt the candidate every nanosecond to say, "well, well, well, let's back up for a minute while I treat my viewers like they're 3rd graders, and then I remind everyone for no reason at all that people are innocent until proven guilty"...
So far, so good.
Polls said Kamala Harris was going to win Iowa. Get the fuck to the voting booth!
Amen.
I haven't trusted the polls in SO long. People LIE.
When we vote, we win. When we stay home in droves..... eh, not so much.
Broke - "I'm single right now."
Woke - "Many have tried to date me, but all have failed."
(stolen from Pinterest)
Roger Marshall ad here: "Roger Marshall works hard and he's NOT woke."
What a fucking stupid thing to put in an ad.
If Roger Marshall worked hard at doing anything but being an asshole he wouldn't care about "woke".
He works while sleeping?
WSJ Exclusive | Decades After Watergate, DOJ Reviews Whether Nixon Got a Raw Deal
"The Justice Department is reviewing whether the special prosecutor’s office that investigated the Watergate break-in committed misconduct, according to people familiar with the matter, more than half a century after that scandal led to Nixon’s resignation."
>because of course they are
"SECURING AMERICA’S BULK-POWER SYSTEM: Today, President Donald J. Trump [sic] signed an Executive Order to protect the security, integrity, and reliability of bulk-power system electric equipment used in the United States, particularly from interference by foreign actors." https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/08/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-a-national-emergency-to-secure-americas-bulk-power-system/
--and--
"President Trump [sic] has doubled down on his pledge to achieve American energy independence by unleashing domestic production and ensuring affordable, reliable energy for every American family and business. This year, executive actions dismantled excessive red tape, federal lands and offshore areas were reopened for development, and approval timelines were accelerated to expand oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear capacity." https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/energy/
* Yet another fucking "security emergency" but this, like most of the other "emergencies" the Pumpkin Orange Pustule has declared this is directly attributable to his asshattery or a figment of his (or possibly one of his advisors/sycophants) imagination.
* Yeah, riiiiight, the US power grid is under attack by hostile foreign nations, just like our electronic voting systems.
* The Fulvous Fuckwad has freed the fossil fuel industry of heinous legislation and rules so they can further destroy the climate in the name of profitability.
* References to nuclear power are nothing but sops and bovine scat. On average it takes between ten and 16 years for a plant to come online: from starting the permit process through sending power through the grid.
* The "excessive red tape" that his buds no longer need to fash themselves over little deets like: environmental impact testing, soil testing, and geotechnical concerns
* If Mad King Donnie is so concerned with increasing "energy independence" then why has he mad it a key part of his agenda to prevent renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal...) from contributing. Other than that his cronies in the fossil fuel industry won't get to sell as much power as they want.
* IDK about anyone else, but I'm not the least interested in seeing federal land opened to the industry, nor do I want to see the ecological disaster that is inevitable with offshore drilling.
* "ensuring affordable, reliable energy" Huh? I've been under the impression that questions regarding the affordability of something was a Dumocrat Hoax!
-----
Just why is there a such concern from the current regime about the power infrastructure? We're currently (pun intended) lacking enough energy to power all of the data centers required for AI... sorry... SI if we're to remain #1:
> "The White House says the move is necessary as the country's electricity demands grow, driven largely by the boom in artificial intelligence and data centers." https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/white-house-declares-national-emergency-over-foreign-parts-used-in-power-grid-ai-electricity-chris-wright-united-states-data-centers
There is a fly in the ointment to be considered though: a large -- and growing -- number of Americans don't want more data centers built:
> " Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor." https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx
With this in mind I propose a new acronym for this situation; never mind NIMBY we're at NIABY (pronounced with a hard "I" like in night): Not In Anyone's Back Yard.
fnord
COAL!
Todd Achilles is just a straight up good human. We traveled together years ago on a public policy fellowship, and he is a very lovable nerd.