On the Child-Rapist-in-Chief’s failed shit-show on the National Mall...
"Once again, Preznit Fuckwit has failed. Just like he failed at running a real estate empire, and failed at running casinos, and failed at running an airline, and failed at running a football team, and failed at running a country, and failed at fighting a pandemic, Donny has now failed at throwing a national party.
And the colicky piss-baby in the Oval Bordello, you’ll no doubt be delighted to learn, is shitting a massive red-hot brick over this."
Today, Mayor Mamdani gave a public address for America’s 250th anniversary.
He argued that the American story has always been one of contradiction, and traces the experiences generations of Americans seeking freedom and opportunity.
From the Fathering Founders of this Great Country to the Storming of the Airfield during the Revolutionary War, the former Favorite President of the USA you know I would have chopped down a Cherry Tree... They called him George... George Washington. He was born right here, that is why they named him Washington. I think his parents were called Kent or York or something british.... he let them burn down the White House.... I am not sure why he was their Favorite president.... I mean, Lincoln started the civil War which killed hundreds of thousands of Patriots on both sides, fine people on both sides, and because he started that war, they put his face on the penny.... a Penny how embarassing.... and this man who was named after the city that the White House is in, this Washington, he let them burn down the White House, so they put him on the one dollar bill... I have never seen one dollar... what does it even look like? A piece of lint? The dollar bill... how embarrassing for Him....
Check out Russell Shorto's accessible and absolutely fascinating popular history of Dutch, New York, " Island at the center of the world."
The book tells the story of, and depends upon, a lifetime of historical research by the one PhD student in the history of the state of New York that was willing to teach himself Old Dutch in order to read the archive of New Amsterdam municipal records that had been sitting in boxes in the New York State library undisturbed for a few centuries.
Among the fascinating things:
• the passenger list of the ship of settlers that Old Amsterdam sent in response to a request for people from Peter Stuyvesant when he took over. An incredibly diverse group, including at least one Muslim, and several black people. From its first, New York was a global, diverse city. That's a legacy of its Dutch heritage, not of 18th century white revolutionaries.
• The discovery of the story of a previously unknown American hero, a young Dutch lawyer, who was also Manhattan's first district attorney, a fellow named Adriaen van der Donck -- who heroically challenged Stuyvesant's illegal restrictions of civil liberties all the way to the Dutch capital.
• commentary on the inaccuracies that still plague the popular understanding of the founding of the United States of America. Jamestown in Virginia was a failure. The Plymouth pilgrims, while courageous, didn't seek to build a new new nation or a great City -- they just wished to escape their tormentors and erect a stuffy theocracy alone in the wilderness. Yet because it was Virginia slave owners that ran the federal government between its creation and 1861, this country is stuck with its Jamestown as America's founding commnity fetish. We saw that with the royalist bullshit bullshit back in 2007 for the 400th. Archaeologists aren't even exactly sure where Jamestown was. The original colonists, sick with malaria and shitting themselves with dysentery, abandoned Jamestown soon after its founding. America did not start there.
And because of the governmental, economic and social dominance of Eastern white Protestant elites for most of our history, we've been stuck with the Plymouth pilgrims fetish. Old buckle shoes and wide brim hat wearing religious nuts (from who I am descended) are not really the starting point of American Life. Plymouth Massachusetts still exists, but mostly as a tourist attraction and vacation destination. And Plymouth Rock is a fucking hoax.
The book, which well sourced but also a breezy and fun read, makes the unassailable argument that it is New York. That is the seat of the American character that developed after European settlement. Ethnically, religiously and socially diverse from the first day. And with a heritage based more on 17th century Dutch social tolerance than 17th century British commercial adventurism. (Remember that before the Plymouth pilgrims came to Cape Cod they lived in the Netherlands, which didn't care at all about there their puritanism. They only cross the ocean because they felt their children were growing up more Dutch then English.)
So yes, I think you're very much right that the new mayor of New York is definitely a break with the racist founding generation of the United States of America. But he is directly in line with a founding of New York by the Dutch, diverse, with profound civil liberties and commitment to elective government that the British wouldn't embrace until after the American revolution, and a singular focus on commerce.
At the time of New York's founding as New, the Dutch were a century or more ahead of the rest of the European countries in terms of civil liberties, business practices and more.
In the mid 1600s, a Dutch worker was socially equal to his overseer. He didn't call him his master or his Lord. They were politically equal. So the Dutch invented a word for the job. That word was "boss."
Agreed, and Russell Shorto is so delightfully readable.
Just finished his 'Amsterdam' – a point I hadn't realized, the Dutch never went through a feudal period, or inherited the trappings of one, and that shows up in their culture in many ways.
I loved seeing those naturalized citizens with their flags! For a long time, OldManClaire kept the one he received when he was naturalized. I have no idea what happened to it, but I hope it's around somewhere. Ditto OldLadyClaire's.
The arrogance of humans is staggering We notice Climate Change when it has a direct negative impact on us, but could give less than zero fucks about the billions of other life forms we share this planet with.
"In an era of mass unaffordability, Middle East wars, ICE killings, and a president siphoning billions of dollars from his office, the time has come for an alarmist op-ed about Democratic Socialists winning House primaries.
I lived in San Francisco for 30 years and never had AC at home, didn't need it, the Pacific Ocean supplied it for free. Out here in Rocklin we keep the AC at 78 to avoid the $350 a month bills from the fucking thieves and cutthroats at PG&E.
I live in Albuquerque, where it gets damned hot in summer. We have a swamp cooler that we use sparingly, mostly in the morning to let cool air in. But the house is constructed for the climate and it's about 20 degrees cooler inside. Of course it's a DRY heat. Damned dry.
I will never budge from my position that covering up for the people were involved with Epstein’a crimes has been the greatest bipartisan effort since World War II.
Yes Climate Change is real and largely due to rapidly increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 However, it's complicated Although the average global temperature is rising, some places will actually become cooler and wetter. The greatest looming disaster from higher CO2 is the acidification of seawater. This unlike temperature change is provable cause and effect.. The most sensitive animals to this decrease in pH are those at the very bottom of the food chain Already there is noticeable decrease in their numbers. Kill them and you kill the Oceans Sadly, this does not get much press coverage.
It's doing lots of nasty shit. We have accomplished atmospheric changes that normally would take millions of years, in a little more than a century. We are not fully aware of the consequences or if it can be reversed.
It features Swedish climate change scientist Johan Rockstrom explaining the history of the planet's climate variations. Clearly, for a change. I found it very good.
"It is our job to become mildly perturbed when Republicans do something we oppose and then later smile and shake hands with those same Republicans while we all drink expensive whiskey and talk about the money we’re getting from corporate donors."
I just ripped The Daily Beast a new a-hole hole for running a ridiculous op-ed that said, in effect, that the Democrats are eating themselves alive and this means trump could get elected a 3rd time.
My response was to cancel my renewal, of course. But, really, Americans wanting a healthcare system that works, functioning schools and a livable wage is going to tank the country - not the fact that Trump's an adjudicated rapist, and con artist?
'Electing Trump a third time'... OK Daily Beast with your scare quote... how would that work? And if it is something that is a actual threat that can happen because democratic guardrails are broken, shouldn't we be electing people who will stop that nonsense?
I used to HATE fireworks as a child. They scared the shit out of me and I dreaded Fourth of July every year. We would go to this club for the employees of the utility where my Papa worked and they would put on a huge fireworks show.
Then I conquered my fear of them and liked them. I enjoy a fireworks show, but given what you say, dogs, cats, people who are scared and PTSD veterans, it's time to move on to shows that don't scare the living shit out of people and creatures and cause pollution and burn down some people's houses.
We need to evolve. Just like we don't do bear baiting anymore, maybe it's time for the fireworks show to be relegated to history and do drones instead. Or something else.
there really is something extra special about staggering in a strange field with 50,000 other zombies, twisting your ankles in the uneven ground, being eaten alive by mosquitos, and then having to comfort the screaming babies who do not enjoy the fireworks at all...
I'm with you. Our town has "safe and sane" fireworks but the street one over from mine does stadium style fireworks and the police do NOTHING about it. It's gonna suck.
The cops came out last Fourth for some neighbors that were shooting off the "real" ones and then they got pissed. It was hilarious to hear them arguing with the cops and then seeing the 4 cops hauling more of the fireworks out of the garage and taking them away, LOL!
Team Melot here, my near future rep. Child care, healthcare and the opportunity to afford rent.
Call me a fuckin socialist. She da shit!
Spell Check will eventually figure her out.
OT: The Mall is never this empty. People are *deliberately* staying away.
𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘁-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘅 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗹
𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦-𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-204765835
On the Child-Rapist-in-Chief’s failed shit-show on the National Mall...
"Once again, Preznit Fuckwit has failed. Just like he failed at running a real estate empire, and failed at running casinos, and failed at running an airline, and failed at running a football team, and failed at running a country, and failed at fighting a pandemic, Donny has now failed at throwing a national party.
And the colicky piss-baby in the Oval Bordello, you’ll no doubt be delighted to learn, is shitting a massive red-hot brick over this."
I'm just going to say, even ignoring who's putting it on, it just doesn't even look very inviting.
Heat index could hit 117!
Good. Let 'em fry!
That speech is one heck of a history lesson in a tight 15-minute set.
Jess Craven ❌👑
@jesscraven101.bsky.social
Today, Mayor Mamdani gave a public address for America’s 250th anniversary.
He argued that the American story has always been one of contradiction, and traces the experiences generations of Americans seeking freedom and opportunity.
The full speech is FANTASTIC.
Wait, it was actually a speech? And not rambling, whiny nonsense?
Is it even really a speech if it doesn't list all of his grievances against his enemies?
It was thoroughly engaging and dowright inspiring,
No bullshit, comrade.
OT.
Lawn is done, I'm cleaned up and I already have Mom on my back about getting rehydrated. XD
it is The Walking Dead hot out in the direct sunlight today.... heat index 102F in the shade, it is a good ten degrees hotter in the direct sun.
STAY SAFE!!
She's right! Down that water! It's stupid hot.
*claps in appreciation for Mayor Mamdani giving the kind of presidential address we deserve on this occasion*
Going to do my best to not foul the weekend with hearing anything Trump has to ramble about until Monday.
From the Fathering Founders of this Great Country to the Storming of the Airfield during the Revolutionary War, the former Favorite President of the USA you know I would have chopped down a Cherry Tree... They called him George... George Washington. He was born right here, that is why they named him Washington. I think his parents were called Kent or York or something british.... he let them burn down the White House.... I am not sure why he was their Favorite president.... I mean, Lincoln started the civil War which killed hundreds of thousands of Patriots on both sides, fine people on both sides, and because he started that war, they put his face on the penny.... a Penny how embarassing.... and this man who was named after the city that the White House is in, this Washington, he let them burn down the White House, so they put him on the one dollar bill... I have never seen one dollar... what does it even look like? A piece of lint? The dollar bill... how embarrassing for Him....
Check out Russell Shorto's accessible and absolutely fascinating popular history of Dutch, New York, " Island at the center of the world."
The book tells the story of, and depends upon, a lifetime of historical research by the one PhD student in the history of the state of New York that was willing to teach himself Old Dutch in order to read the archive of New Amsterdam municipal records that had been sitting in boxes in the New York State library undisturbed for a few centuries.
Among the fascinating things:
• the passenger list of the ship of settlers that Old Amsterdam sent in response to a request for people from Peter Stuyvesant when he took over. An incredibly diverse group, including at least one Muslim, and several black people. From its first, New York was a global, diverse city. That's a legacy of its Dutch heritage, not of 18th century white revolutionaries.
• The discovery of the story of a previously unknown American hero, a young Dutch lawyer, who was also Manhattan's first district attorney, a fellow named Adriaen van der Donck -- who heroically challenged Stuyvesant's illegal restrictions of civil liberties all the way to the Dutch capital.
• commentary on the inaccuracies that still plague the popular understanding of the founding of the United States of America. Jamestown in Virginia was a failure. The Plymouth pilgrims, while courageous, didn't seek to build a new new nation or a great City -- they just wished to escape their tormentors and erect a stuffy theocracy alone in the wilderness. Yet because it was Virginia slave owners that ran the federal government between its creation and 1861, this country is stuck with its Jamestown as America's founding commnity fetish. We saw that with the royalist bullshit bullshit back in 2007 for the 400th. Archaeologists aren't even exactly sure where Jamestown was. The original colonists, sick with malaria and shitting themselves with dysentery, abandoned Jamestown soon after its founding. America did not start there.
And because of the governmental, economic and social dominance of Eastern white Protestant elites for most of our history, we've been stuck with the Plymouth pilgrims fetish. Old buckle shoes and wide brim hat wearing religious nuts (from who I am descended) are not really the starting point of American Life. Plymouth Massachusetts still exists, but mostly as a tourist attraction and vacation destination. And Plymouth Rock is a fucking hoax.
The book, which well sourced but also a breezy and fun read, makes the unassailable argument that it is New York. That is the seat of the American character that developed after European settlement. Ethnically, religiously and socially diverse from the first day. And with a heritage based more on 17th century Dutch social tolerance than 17th century British commercial adventurism. (Remember that before the Plymouth pilgrims came to Cape Cod they lived in the Netherlands, which didn't care at all about there their puritanism. They only cross the ocean because they felt their children were growing up more Dutch then English.)
So yes, I think you're very much right that the new mayor of New York is definitely a break with the racist founding generation of the United States of America. But he is directly in line with a founding of New York by the Dutch, diverse, with profound civil liberties and commitment to elective government that the British wouldn't embrace until after the American revolution, and a singular focus on commerce.
At the time of New York's founding as New, the Dutch were a century or more ahead of the rest of the European countries in terms of civil liberties, business practices and more.
In the mid 1600s, a Dutch worker was socially equal to his overseer. He didn't call him his master or his Lord. They were politically equal. So the Dutch invented a word for the job. That word was "boss."
I've been a fan of the Dutch of that era since reading Simon Schama's book The Embarrassment of Riches
Sojourner Truth's first language was Dutch. She wasn't emancipated until 1827.
Agreed, and Russell Shorto is so delightfully readable.
Just finished his 'Amsterdam' – a point I hadn't realized, the Dutch never went through a feudal period, or inherited the trappings of one, and that shows up in their culture in many ways.
I loved seeing those naturalized citizens with their flags! For a long time, OldManClaire kept the one he received when he was naturalized. I have no idea what happened to it, but I hope it's around somewhere. Ditto OldLadyClaire's.
The arrogance of humans is staggering We notice Climate Change when it has a direct negative impact on us, but could give less than zero fucks about the billions of other life forms we share this planet with.
^^^^^^^
NY Times Pitchbot:
"In an era of mass unaffordability, Middle East wars, ICE killings, and a president siphoning billions of dollars from his office, the time has come for an alarmist op-ed about Democratic Socialists winning House primaries.
by Mark Penn"
I lived in San Francisco for 30 years and never had AC at home, didn't need it, the Pacific Ocean supplied it for free. Out here in Rocklin we keep the AC at 78 to avoid the $350 a month bills from the fucking thieves and cutthroats at PG&E.
I live in Albuquerque, where it gets damned hot in summer. We have a swamp cooler that we use sparingly, mostly in the morning to let cool air in. But the house is constructed for the climate and it's about 20 degrees cooler inside. Of course it's a DRY heat. Damned dry.
In America, we work together
Take the Epstein collaborators as an example
When there was Democratic leadership there was no investigations
When there is Republican leadership there is no prosecutions
See, we work well together
(Helps to read it in the original Russian.) . . .
I will never budge from my position that covering up for the people were involved with Epstein’a crimes has been the greatest bipartisan effort since World War II.
Both sides for real!
Yes Climate Change is real and largely due to rapidly increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 However, it's complicated Although the average global temperature is rising, some places will actually become cooler and wetter. The greatest looming disaster from higher CO2 is the acidification of seawater. This unlike temperature change is provable cause and effect.. The most sensitive animals to this decrease in pH are those at the very bottom of the food chain Already there is noticeable decrease in their numbers. Kill them and you kill the Oceans Sadly, this does not get much press coverage.
I'm pretty sure atmospheric temperature increases are just as provable as ocean acidification as being caused by atmospheric CO2 level increases.
Not nearly, Temperature increase can be attributed to a number of other variables, whereas, lower ocean water pH cannot.
The CO2 rise also increases energy storage in the atmosphere, making storms more intense.
It's doing lots of nasty shit. We have accomplished atmospheric changes that normally would take millions of years, in a little more than a century. We are not fully aware of the consequences or if it can be reversed.
Eber catch this David Attenborough special?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://kolektiva.media/w/x8P4gY3TmpN8GJcWkcfn5H&ved=2ahUKEwiv55-n7baVAxVRm4kEHZK5EbgQo7QBegQIChAE&usg=AOvVaw3SPyFpyARMz7omWiTvE5tZ
It features Swedish climate change scientist Johan Rockstrom explaining the history of the planet's climate variations. Clearly, for a change. I found it very good.
Has Attenborough ever did anything that wasn't exemplary?
There's Solent to fall back on . . .
Can we make that readily available to Sharks??
Excellent USA Today snark:
𝗛𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 | 𝗢𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 '𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿,' 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗯-𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟬𝘀.
"It is our job to become mildly perturbed when Republicans do something we oppose and then later smile and shake hands with those same Republicans while we all drink expensive whiskey and talk about the money we’re getting from corporate donors."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/06/28/centrist-democrat-mamdani-progressive-socialist/90681634007/
I just ripped The Daily Beast a new a-hole hole for running a ridiculous op-ed that said, in effect, that the Democrats are eating themselves alive and this means trump could get elected a 3rd time.
My response was to cancel my renewal, of course. But, really, Americans wanting a healthcare system that works, functioning schools and a livable wage is going to tank the country - not the fact that Trump's an adjudicated rapist, and con artist?
At this juncture, there can't be many Americans of any persuasion dying to hear about how we just need to have more civility.
'Electing Trump a third time'... OK Daily Beast with your scare quote... how would that work? And if it is something that is a actual threat that can happen because democratic guardrails are broken, shouldn't we be electing people who will stop that nonsense?
Ah, who am I kidding, fear gets the clicks...
Ok people, I am OUT for the day. I know my phone will blow up if the Fanta Menace takes a dirt nap. If so, I will be back for the celebration! Laters!
Mrs Ciaobella wants to watch July 4th fireworks tomorrow.
UGGGHHHHHHHHHHH
I’m with the dogs and the PTSD veterans when it comes to fireworks.
I used to HATE fireworks as a child. They scared the shit out of me and I dreaded Fourth of July every year. We would go to this club for the employees of the utility where my Papa worked and they would put on a huge fireworks show.
Then I conquered my fear of them and liked them. I enjoy a fireworks show, but given what you say, dogs, cats, people who are scared and PTSD veterans, it's time to move on to shows that don't scare the living shit out of people and creatures and cause pollution and burn down some people's houses.
We need to evolve. Just like we don't do bear baiting anymore, maybe it's time for the fireworks show to be relegated to history and do drones instead. Or something else.
Jewish space lasers!
there really is something extra special about staggering in a strange field with 50,000 other zombies, twisting your ankles in the uneven ground, being eaten alive by mosquitos, and then having to comfort the screaming babies who do not enjoy the fireworks at all...
never again.
I'm with you. Our town has "safe and sane" fireworks but the street one over from mine does stadium style fireworks and the police do NOTHING about it. It's gonna suck.
The cops came out last Fourth for some neighbors that were shooting off the "real" ones and then they got pissed. It was hilarious to hear them arguing with the cops and then seeing the 4 cops hauling more of the fireworks out of the garage and taking them away, LOL!
Find a nice laser or drone show instead, if you can.