Second Thought For The Day

Cloudy With A Chance Of Hail (Of Bullets)

January 6, 2023

The last guy nearly ruined this place,
he didn’t know what to do with it.
If you think this country’s bad off now,
just wait ‘til I get through with it.
                       Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding*

As you are all too well aware, the Ratpublican Clown Caucus now has a majority in the House. They have now completed four stupid days and thirteen idiotic votes (the greatest number of futile attempts since 1858) and Keving McCarthy finally leads Democrat Hakeem Jeffries in the vote count. Jeffries only needs six Ratpublicans to realize that their party is riddled with rubes who can barely tie their own shoes let alone govern a huge, diverse nation. McCarthy now only needs four votes to begin his doomed speakership. On Stupid Day Three one of these knuckleheads actually nominated the head insurrectionist from two years ago today – Donald Trump, the guy who wants (wanted?) Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker – to be the next Speaker of the House.

It's Not My Party And I’ll Cry If I Want To

The party that is insanity personified continues to do the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again, dimly expecting a different result. To quote Forrest Gump's mama , “Stupid is as stupid does.” She never imagined this.

Partners/opponents Trump and McCarthy have a meeting of the “minds”

Though they remain unable to carry out what should be the easiest task they will ever face – electing one mental defective among them to be Speaker of the House – they did manage to have the metal detectors (not to be confused with mental detectors) removed from the Capitol. You remember the Capitol – the place these same Ratpublicans attempted to take by force in order to overthrow the government they now claim to work in. The metal detectors were put in place in response to the attempted coup two years ago today.

So now, presumably these hair-brained, hair-triggered numbskulls in the Ratpublican carcass…I mean caucus can walk around the Capitol packing heat in order to protect themselves from themselves. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe they need some Second Amendment solutions to settle their pathetic attempt to choose a leader.

Capitol building metal detector – notice hand sanitizer dispenser,

which will likely be removed because sanitizer dissolves freedom

Lord Of The Fleas

Congresschild Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who has inquired about carrying guns into the Capitol, said that Republicans were turning the House chamber back "into the people's House" by removing the scanners.

Boebert recently had to shutter her gun-themed Shooters Grill in (not making this up) Rifle, Colorado, which is scheduled to become a Mexican restaurant.

Rep. Boebert seen here desperately trying to remember

her name and where she safely stored her guns

Who knows, maybe something good will come out of this. Can you say Steve Scalise?

For the record, it is uncertain whether the House of Representatives can even be said to exist at the moment since no one can be sworn in, nor any work done until a Speaker has been elected. Except apparently for having metal detectors removed. If only they had used their powers to remove the mental defectives. Once again Ratpublicans prove that government doesn’t work…when they have the majority.

Never forget, this is the party that brought you Donald Trump.

___________________________________________________
* Also the slogan of wannabe Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the raison d'être of Ratpublicans

This has been your Paying Attention™ Thought For The Day.

What do you think?                                                                                

                                                                              

                      

Thought For The Day (Which Will Live In Infamy)

Death Be Not Loud

January 6, 2023

At the behest of then (GULP!) president Donald Trump, crazed insurrectionists laid siege to the Capitol two years ago today. The crazed mob attacked law enforcement with bear spray, clubs, fire extinguishers and tasers. They beat officers with American flags and Trump flags. They were hell-bent on hanging Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi, and perhaps all Democrats. They broke doors and windows, stole private and government property. Confederate flags were paraded through the Capitol. They literally shit on the halls of Congress.

Today, January 6 is a day that will live in infamy, no less than December 7. Remember, the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor were also proud of what they accomplished. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was merely an opening salvo to a conflagration, like the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the attack on 9/11 and more recently, Donald Trump’s attempted coup on January 6. Another date which will live in infamy.

Trump and his cult followers are proud of what they perpetrated on this nation. They believe that they are patriots. They call themselves political prisoners. Perhaps prisoners of war would be more apt.

This has been your Paying Attention™ Thought For The Day.

What do you think?

Schmuck Of The Day

Ratpublicans vs. Voting

January 3, 2022

In a historic day – think Waterloo, Titanic, Hindenburg – the new wafer-thin majority of House Ratpublicans voted for their choice to be the next Speaker of the House. Voting is clearly not a Ratpublican strong suit.

A Louse Divided

Prohibitive (prohibited?) favorite – at least in his own “mind” – Kevin McCarthy, who had already moved his stuff into the Speaker’s office did not see his big day go the way he had hoped. Sniveling punk-ass-bitch McCarthy lost three votes (so far) in his Quixotic quest to become Speaker. This is the first time in a century that a speaker was not elected on the first ballot. 

As of now, with Congress in recess – perhaps more accurately, time-out – McCarthy remains in second place. Wanna know who is currently in the lead? That would be newly-minted leader of the Democratic caucus Hakeem Jeffries, who was unanimously chosen for Nancy Pelosi’s old job.

Two McCarthys: Charlie and real dummy Kevin 

Obviously, there is no real chance that Jeffries will get the necessary 218 votes to become the next speaker, but the current vote count is:

Hakeem Jeffries: 212
Kevin McCarthy: 202
Jim Jordan: 20

More exciting votes tomorrow.

Co-Schmuck Of The Day

Pugnacious pinhead Jordan has been attempting to persuade his supporters to move into the McCarthy camp. So far, Jordan has gained more votes for himself with each recount – kind of reminds me of all the recounts Ratpublicans attempted while trying to steal the 2020 election for fellow douchebag Donald Trump.

Jordan hasn’t been this dedicated to a colleague (with the possible exception of the aforementioned Trump) since his time as Ohio State wrestling coach. Jordan looked the other way when wrestlers begged him to step in because team doctor Richard Strauss was engaged in sexually abusing a number of wrestlers. Several victims have gone on record claiming that Jordan, among others, knew full well what Strauss was up to – a fact Jordan hopes to take with him to the grave. With any luck, it eats away at him every single day. That of course, futilely presumes the presence of a conscience.

Jordan has consistently invoked the Sgt. Schultz Amendment:

I refuse to comment because I know nothing, nothing!*

For the record, an independent report commissioned by the university concluded in 2019 that Strauss “sexually abused at least 177 male student-patients” between 1979 and 1998. The report stated that 22 coaches – unnamed in the report – said they were aware of rumors or complaints about Strauss.

A number of lawsuits have been filed against OSU over allegations related to Strauss. On Friday, OSU announced that it reached a monetary settlement with Strauss’ victims in 11 out of 18 pending cases. The doctor died by suicide in 2005. Jordan was not nearly so thoughtful.

_______________________________________________________
*Naturally, this is the only honest or useful thing Jordan has ever uttered; well, it would have been if he had actually said it.

This has been your Paying Attention™ Schmuck(s) Of The Day. Schmuck you both.

This Just (Soon To Be) In

Leftover Predictions In Brief

January 1, 2023

Any holiday worth its salt involves leftovers. Our deep-seated sense of food insecurity goes back to the beginning of eating. While it is true that we at Paying Attention™ have never provided actual alimentary sustenance, we do hopefully provide food for thought via the potluck that is the internet.

January 2, 2023

Mr. Smith Comes To Washington

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith – if looks could convict

Fresh off his stint prosecuting some of the biggest assholes on Earth at The Hague, there is new hope that Jack Smith is the guy who will finally make Trump pay for his sins. Well, at least one of them. Hopefully. Certainly a chicken unworthy of being counted at this juncture. Sorry, not really much of a prediction.

Living Color – Cult of Personality

April 22, 2023

A Crisis Of Unconscious

With the climate crisis reaching new levels of WTF, most Earth Day events were cancelled. Some due to raging infernos, some due to catastrophic flooding or blizzards. Others were simply abandoned by people tired of banging their heads against brain-dead Ratpublicans’ Category 6 stupidity. “What’s the use of trying anymore?” asked one onlooker who refused to give his name, but claimed to have once been a U.S. senator and then vice president and victim of the most stolen election of all time. He continued, “There is an even more inconvenient truth out there, and that is the fact that there are just too many ignorant slobs out there, who think science is a hoax, who believe having a greater-than-single-digit IQ means you’re a threat.”

Todd Rundgren – Down With The Ship

June 19, 2023

George Santos – Quintessential Ratpublican

Having refused to step down after every single thing he ever said was a lie, George Santos (R-NY), claiming his lying was a hoax wrapped in a witch-hunt, drenched in a who-gives-a-fuck, is heralded by ersatz presidential candidate Donald Trump as his running mate for 2024. “George knows how to handle himself under pressure. I mean, how great is this guy. He’s black, he’s Jew-ish, he graduated from every college, worked for the biggest companies, and all of it off the books so no one even knows. Suddenly came into a ton of money with no sign of having done anything to earn it. Possibly in bed with Russian oligarchs. What’s not to love about this guy? Not everyone has the ability to lie so easily, so completely. That’s something I can respect and I want a guy like that by my side. I don’t think I’ll be exhorting my people to hang George Santos…anytime soon.”

My name is “George Santos” and I was “killed” in the “Holocaust”

Todd Rundgren – STFU

August 25, 2023

Doing The (Over)Lord’s Work

We are all familiar with the Fifth Amendment, which grants Americans the right against giving testimony that might tend to incriminate themselves. In an emergency session, one which somehow managed to exclude three of the women on the Court, a case that did not even exist was taken up by six justices. Suddenly, America had bestowed upon it – like it or not – a new amendment: The Fifth-And-A-Half Amendment.

Denying the rumors that this new amendment arose as a result of Ginni Thomas – the even dumber and whiter spouse of Clarence – Samuel Alito, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a room full of elderly white men who will never be asked for voter ID

“This amendment has nothing to do with Ginni Thomas. America has long needed protection from the law for various reasons. In this case, it is the right to get off scot-free if you are just too darn stupid to remember anything that might be inconvenient. But rest assured, this has nothing to do with Ginni Thomas being unable to remember her conversations with her “best friend” during one of the most critical, emotional and mind-numbingly stupid moments in her life. It’s just a coincidence – like us overturning Roe v. Wade after most of us testifying in public, under oath that we would never seek to interfere with settled law. Everyone knew we were full of shit. Except Susan Collins, bless her little heart and smaller brain.”

Aretha Franklin And The Eurythmics - Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves

October 31, 2023

Daddy Issues

He doesn’t look at Kari the way he looks at Ivanka, but she’ll do
(whatever Donny wants)

Donald Trump announces that, “Since Ivanka has decided to stay out of politics this time around, I am announcing that I have adopted the beautiful and talented sociopath Kari Lake as my daughter. Hopefully, this makes it safer to date someone, even if she is my daughter. When you’re a star they let you do it. Depending on how this dating thing works out, I may have to rethink my choice of Santos as my running mate. And I definitely won’t be dating him, even though he is not may daughter…no matter what he claims.”

Mothers of Invention — Brown Shoes Don’t Make It

I think that pretty much covers it, but we will let you know if anything else reveals itself.

I. Mangrey recuperating.

Bringing You the Future Before It’s Too Late, Part III

Predictions, Prophecies, Prognostications, Projections and Piffle

Still trying to bag the elusive Monarch Butterbrain

I Can See Next Year From Here

December 31, 2022

Well, here it is. The final installment of what to expect in 2023. Well, according to some 60 percent of Americans we still have a 46^th president, despite repeated, albeit buffoonish and patently illegal attempts to pretend the 45^th presidency, a presidency which will live in infamy, never ended. Unfortunately, in democracies the pathetic loser, even one who was impeached twice – once for colluding with Russia yet still losing the popular vote, and once for accusing his opponent of doing what he actually did, stealing the next election and then planning and inciting a coup – is not simply rounded up along with his criminal cronies and thrown in jail. Pardon us while we indulge in a little dream candy…

Some very fine people on both sides…of the bars?
(The Best People, L-R: Manafort – convicted felon, Stone – convicted felon,
Flynn – convicted felon, Meadows – probably nearing indictment,
Giuliani – about to be disbarred/indicted, Pence – hanging still pending,
Don, Jr. – cokehead/heir to daddy’s throne/debts,
Bannon – convicted felon, King Pin – up to eyeballs in shit)

Donald Trump – the long COVID of presidents – still has us gnashing our teeth, fighting to keep food down, losing sleep and praying that the Constitution will ultimately prevail despite the unrelenting and seditious efforts of its arch enemies – Donald Turmp, the Ratpublican Party and the Supreme Court. Hopefully, Trump’s legacy will attain a fate similar to so many of Turmp’s other fraudulent, and ultimately failed ventures.

Ed Venture
Unmanageable Editor

August 16, 2023

Dim Bulbs vs. Bright Shiny Object

Ratpublicans in the House suddenly lose interest in Hunter Biden’s laptop after only 14 separate hearings, including several hundred hours of testimony – mostly from the My Pillow Guy – revealed even less than the dozen or so Benghazi hearings Ratpublicans held last time they were in the majority. According to reports someone entered the Capitol during one of these senseless, revenge-porn-esque hearings and began shining a laser pointer around the room. This so distracted McCarthy’s mental munchkins that they ended up following the red dot out of the building, past the Hang Mike Pence Memorial Gallows, and straight into the Potomac. No one noticed they were missing for several months, during which much of the people’s work got done.

September 24, 2023

And The Winner Is...

The January 6^th Committee Hearing miniseries racked up 12 Emmys in unprecedented fashion. Never before has any show crossed over categories so comprehensively. The Committee won Emmys for Best Documentary, Best Reality Show, Best Drama and Best Miniseries. Chairman Bennie Thompson won for Leading Actor, Liz Cheney for Best Supporting Actress and Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff shared Best Producer honors. 

I thought the committee did a great job, but I must admit I was expecting the Spanish Inquisition. Or at the very least, a comfy chair or some soft cushions.

Chairman Bennie Thompson, overcome with joy after accepting his Emmy

Donald Trump won a newly created category, slated to become a one-time-only award (kind of like the 2000 Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision that appointed a president, but was asterisked as not useable as precedent in the future) for Biggest Asshole/Defendant In A Very Public Investigation. Trump was not given an actual Emmy for his efforts, but was told to spend some quality time with his No Balls, Putz Prize, and was given a number of excellent suggestions for off-label usage.

November 8, 2023

He Cannot Not Tell A Lie

Under oath Trump, sweating more than a badly beaten football team in a cramped post-game sauna, swears up, down and sideways, “Melanie made me do it. She is a very foreign and possibly very dangerous person. She’s the brains in the outfit and she might be part of the fake Russia hoax. I only do what she tells me. I obviously don’t understand how anything works. It was all Melanie and Ivanka. I think Ivanka was out to get me from the beginning because I refused to date her. This is the God’s truth. I forgot to bring my Bible, but Two Corinthians – am I right? Cross my heart and hope you die.”

She’s the one – that foreign-sounding loser over there. I never met her before.

November 30, 2023

Donald J. Trump, STFU In Peace

On his long-overdue deathbed, Donald Trump finally concedes the 2020 election. Just kidding, his final words were, “Biggest crowds ever…stolen election...11,780 votes…covfefe.”

December 31, 2023

This Will Have Been The Year That Will Have Been

We are predicting that the year 2023 will come to an end, at midnight or there abouts. We are simply not stupid enough to even consider predicting how. There is a non-zero percent chance that we will once again be relieved to wring out 2023.

Do I smell smoke?

Out With (ano)The(r) Bad Year, In With The Good

So, that’s it for Paying Attention in 2022 and now we all know what to expect in 2023 – or at least some of it. There is no way to predict all the idiocy that the new wafer-thin Ratpublican majority has in store. Election deniers will make up more than one-third of the 118^th House of Representatives. For now, just enjoy New Year’s Eve, think responsibly, and for now, forget the future ever happened.

Feel free to ignore all predictions except this one from the world’s foremost authority: “If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going.”

From Ed Venture, I. Mangrey, T. Doff and Shay King, and our research and legal teamS:

Hello 2023, come right in, we’ve been expecting you.

Don’t let the sun, the moon or any other

proximate Celestial body catch you crying

Bringing You the Future Before It’s Too Late, Part II

Predictions, Prophecies, Prognostications, Projections and Piffle

The End (of The Year) is Near

December 29, 2022

Where We Will Have Gone From Here

It is time to pick up where we laughed off. Hopefully, you are sufficiently soused, fittingly fried, tenuously toasted, or otherwise appropriately altered as 2022 melts away like the Arctic and America’s democracy. If you had already started your Rent-A-Coma experience and are not seeing this in a timely manner, welcome back – I hope you are feeling refreshed, or at least blissfully unaware of any of the disastrous depredations that occurred while you were “out.” In any event, welcome to Part II of our annual three-part series on the way it will be in 2023. But buckle up, there’s still a very good chance of turbulence, and definitely some Turmpulence and his verbal flatulence ahead. Though with this malignant martinet, it is difficult and dangerous to get one’s hopes up, there is a new special federal prosecutor in town, a laundry list of pending charges and more than a few active investigations poised to puncture this hot-air buffoon.  

“It makes me mildly nauseous to think we
might have had some impact on the election.”
James Comey May 3, 2017

“What do you mean we, white man?”
Ed Venture December 28, 2021

February 25, 2023

Phantom Of The Capitol

Trump is finally tracked down and remanded to Capitol Police. Not having enough time or physical strength to dig himself a Saddam Hussein-type spider hole to hide in, Trump was found waist-deep in countless buckets of KFC and classified documents in the once-padlocked room where most of Trump’s stolen classified documents had been discovered almost a year ago. According to reports, a desperate Trump was dragged, kicking and screaming and foaming at the mouth, and ultimately just babbling, “I won! I won! You can’t treat the president of America this way. Did you see the size of my crowd?” and still clutching a stack of stolen documents.

He is locked in the jail below the Capitol awaiting trial. Or possibly forgotten and left to rot.

The Phantom of The Capitol – still clinging to his precious documents
(somehow, more than he came in with; where do you suppose he was hiding them?)

May 1, 2023

What's That Smell? Is That Musk?

Elon Musk shows up for his latest Twitter press conference presumably in a towel – one hopes. Apparently having not slept for several days (weeks? months?) Musk addressed his latest mass suspension of anyone who did not vote for Donald Trump twice. He repeatedly referred to his latest plaything as “Twister” and rarely opened his eyes throughout the event, ultimately having to be helped off the podium and laid in the back seat of what appeared to be a blood-stained Tesla Model X, having been almost knocked over by the vertically-opening door as he belligerently attempted to shoo away his support team. Obviously in no condition to drive, the Tesla CEO presumably engaged self-driving mode and rammed in short order into a hedge before one of Musk’s entourage replaced him behind the wheel, disabled autopilot (and Musk) and silently sped off before wreaking any further havoc.

The following day, Musk unwittingly suspended himself from Twitter. He reportedly took a vow of silence that lasted about an hour. He has incessantly been heard from since.

July 21, 2023

That's Not A Compliment

Trump wins No Balls Putz Prize for cowardly behavior in the face of his own massive stupidity, for acting below and beyond comprehension. For inciting insurrection, stealing classified documents, spending an entire year whining about his big election lie, and generally being a fascist fuckwit.

Nap Time

Go and have a nap or a concussion, maybe some Prozac or a quick round of Rent-A-Coma. There is a good chance Part III is coming soon. Get ready for the end of 2020 Part II, aka 2021. We’ve got the Magic 8 Ball in overdrive – we asked again later, survived countless hazy replies, and celebrated a surprising number of “Signs point to yes”. These are not fake predictions.  

Making predictions takes intense preparation and concentration

Ed Venture, I. Mangrey, T. Doff and Shay King continue bringing you the future before it gets away.

Bringing You the Future Before It’s Too Late, Part I

Predictions, Prophecies, Prognostications, Projections and Piffle

The End (of The Year) is Near

December 26, 2022

Where Will We Have Gone From Here

Well, here we are once again. One year dies out, another takes its place. 2022 was filled festooned with the hit miniseries January 6^th Committee v. Trump and The Stupid. So it goes. We survived the campaigns of Herschel “Abortion King” Walker, Doug “Election Decider” Mastriano, Mehmet “I Always Get My Crudités At Wegners” Oz and Kari “On, Like Trump In A Skirt” Lake. Though, Lake is still carrying on, and carrying on Trump Ratpublicans’ new normal by refusing to accept the results of any election they lose.

The COVID pandemic Trump tried to turn into a random genocide mutated its way into our hearts for another year, as Trump mutated into an even more pathetic, more dangerous and more indictable version of himself. Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in an attempt to remove it from the map so he can start World War III and become the next Russian tsar. The United States Extreme Court overturned more long-standing law by overturning Roe v. Wade, which played no small part in handing Ratpublicans the weakest midterm showing in decades, allowing Democrats to increase their Senate majority, and add governorships and state legislature majorities across the country.

Climate crisis catastrophes accelerated in number and degree across the globe as oil companies continued to sabotage all attempts to reduce human impacts on global conditions.

NASA launched the James Webb telescope to see if there is intelligent life anywhere in the universe. Nothing so far.

Save America From Americans

Still, thanks to Ratpublicans insisting on eliminating elections, democracy and reality in general, the stupidity is so overwhelming and so widespread that our entire system of political and social norms, such as they are, risk collapsing into chaos and fascism. It is not hyperbole to imagine long-term irreparable damage to civilization itself if these medieval Machiavellian morons have their way. This is not one of our predictions (Or is it?), but just something think and gnash your teeth about.

Now, Back To The Future

Many people do not realize that predicting the future is not an exact science. Truth be told, science is not always an exact science. A large swath of America does not even think science is real. In reality – as if that’s still a thing – nobody can predict the future…as if that’s still a thing. Nonetheless, we will put our non-existent reputation on the line to tell it like it will be. Our record has been as good as anyone’s since our first foray into Predictions, Prophecies, Prognostications, Projections and Piffle back in 2013.

I. Carnac, questioning all the answers that will be given in 2023

So, 2022, finally goes the way of all years, good, bad or ugly. It is all but guaranteed that we will be here to see it end.

In any event, here is what we predict you will see over the next 12 months…

January 6, 2023

If The Guy’s A Blight, You Must Indict

The Jan 6 Committee along with Attorney General Merrick Garland reconvenes in a surprise primetime appearance to announce the warrant for the arrest of Donald Trump.

A somewhat less somber than usual AG Garland:

Two years ago today in this hallowed edifice, then-president and life-long asshole, racist, fascist conman Donald Trump – you’ll pardon the expression – incited a premeditated coup attempt. His supporters beat law enforcement officers with American flags, Blue Lives Matter banners, pointed sticks, and assorted other weaponry as they attempted to subvert the will of the majority – an uncommonly large majority – of the American electorate. Obviously, seeing as Mr. Trump was sorest winner when he did actually win the Electoral College – with the help of Russia (even says so in the Mueller report, though Mueller himself was unwilling to say that), he was not expected to take losing well, especially losing in such spectacular fashion. Frankly, he got crushed. But really, what could he have expected? The first time, no one knew what a Trump administration would really look like. Well, some of us kind of did know, but once people got a good, long whiff of the criminality, incompetence and blatant racism and authoritarianism, who but the most deplorable among us would vote for him a second time. Okay, so he did get many more votes the second time around, but that’s not the point. He lost. He lost big. He committed innumerable crimes in the attempt to overturn his loss and now his ass belongs to the law. The only thing left to say is, “Lock him up!”

January 11, 2023

This Is An Ex-president

As authorities search for the disgraced, twice-impeached, failed insurrection leader and Fifth-Amendment-dependent ex-one-term-president, Trump attempts to hide out in a Monty Python sketch from 50 years ago.

But is ultimately caught because he is too big, fat and stupid to blend in…

Trump, placed in the appropriate Python sketch,
more than just tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk

And so begins the Paying Attention™ panoply of predictions for 2023. As always, Ed Venture, I. Mangrey, T. Doff and Shay King bring you the future before it’s too late.

Go and get an appropriate attitude adjustment and gird your loins folks, we’re just getting started.  It is predicted that Part II will be appearing very soon.

Thought For The Day

A Simple Twist Of Hate

December 24, 2022

There is a saying most of us have heard. Though often attributed to Albert Einstein, its actual origin is in doubt:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

When it comes to Ratpublicans, particularly in the current context of needing, and most Americans wanting, common sense gun reform (including a ban on assault weapons), meaningful abortion rights, civil rights and voting rights, increased taxes on the very rich, and immediate and robust action on climate crisis, this wise saying must be modified ever so slightly:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and desiring the same results.”

Of course, this is not merely insanity, it is evil. And it turns out that this also holds true for pretty much all Ratpublican policies. 

Unfortunately, the problem is not isolated to Ratpublicans, though they have taken things to the extreme. As Dahlia Lithwick in her new book Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and The Battle to Save America, Elie Mystal in his recent best seller Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to The Constitution, and others insist, our laws and customs are working exactly as they were designed. Kind of insane.

Far too many of our founding designs and documents protected the rights of slavers and gave none whatsoever to women or indigenous peoples. The bizarre Electoral College (something absent in every other democracy), the badly designed Senate (which gives states like Wyoming excessive representation, and there are simply too many Dakotas, Virginias and Carolinas), and an unelected (over 95 percent white and male throughout its history) Supreme Court.

You’ll notice there is no Sanity Clause.

BONUS FUN:

The Flynnstones

This has been your Paying Attention™ Thought For The Day.

Thought For The Day

Whole Lotta Crimin’ Going On

December 23, 2022

The January 6 Committee finally released their massive 845-page report yesterday. I was hoping that rather than crush Trump with a 16-ton weight they might have chosen to expose him to a death by a thousand transcripts.

Even though this would have been a much more effective strategy a few months ago, controlling the daily news cycle with the drip, drip, drip of a transcript here, a report excerpt there, would likely have suffocated any more MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS and more trading card releases, or any other Trumpian attempts to distract from his crimes against democracy from getting any media oxygen.

It seems that we might be gifted with the best of both worlds. There are reports that more transcripts are likely to be released. After all, a report is just a narrative derived from more than a thousand interviews – some of them presenting more than just the hundreds (probably thousands) of invocations of the Fifth Amendment and claims of “I don’t recall” regurgitated by dozens of witnesses. Transcripts likely have countless juicy, gory and hifuckinglarious details. Drip, drip, drip.

But now, coming in at slightly less than 16 tons, the big one is out, just in time for the holiday. It should make a good conman stuffer.

Personally, I plan to wait for the movie. Rumor has it that the ever-festering Trump will be played by a CGI potato since there are no self-respecting actors appear willing to play the disgraced, twice-impeached, failed insurrection leader and Fifth-Amendment-dependent ex-one-term-president. Not for all the Trump NFTs in the world.

He oughta be in pictures

And it will surely all be detailed in Mike Pence’s new book:

On Second Thought…

Former Deputy Solicitor General of the United States Neal Katyal said, “The Republican Party is no longer the party of the Second Amendment, they’re now the party of the Fifth Amendment.”

This has been your Paying Attention™ Thought For The Day.