Five years ago today John Lewis drew his last
breath. The final one in a decades-long succession of powerful, meaningful
breaths. Of eloquent and profound words and consequential deeds. Arguably one
of the greatest Americans in our storied, albeit sullied history. Who gave his
life to and was the personification of “Good Trouble”.
Marches are planned all across the country to honor Lewis’ memory and
continue the pressure against the racist, fascist Trump administration’s
crusade to end democracy and decency in America.
Lewis famously joined Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Selma to Montgomery marches and was
beaten nearly to death by Alabama State Troopers while marching across the Edmund Pettus bridge
on March 7, 1965, which became known as Bloody Sunday.
The
Edmund Pettus Bridge traverses the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama. It was built
in 1940, and was and remains named after Edmund Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier
general, U.S. senator, and state-level leader of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. USA!
USA! USA!
There
have been calls to rename the bridge, including naming it after John Lewis. Lewis
had voiced opposition to changing the name of the bridge before his death.
I. Mangrey remembering. It's time for some excellent trouble.
Stephen Miller: Sucking the Blood Out of American Democracy
The Daily Show
___________________________________________ *But it’s not Elon MusKKK **Though the competition remains fierce with MusKKK’s AI
chatbot Grok claiming itself MechaHitler and now partnering with the Pentagon.
BONUS PIC OF THE DAY
This has been your Paying Attention™ Pic Of The Day.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find
anything good, or even just imagine something good as the Fuh King works to
dis-mental Americawith levels
of stupidity, incompetence and fascist fucknuttery like nobody has ever seen
before.
Is That Schadenfreude I Smell?
The previous paragraph was written a week or
so ago. Sometimes I store bits or pieces or whole posts – like a squirrel, though
not in my cheeks – to use
at a later date. But, since then there has been a whiff of something sweeter in
the air. Sickeningly sweet, but sweet nonetheless. Who would have thought that
a dead pedophile could become so “popular”?
The MAGA cult is currently tearing itself to
pieces over the non-existent Epstein files that very recently were spending
quality time on psychophant AG Pam Blondi’s desk. Now they have either vanished, never
existed, and/or were the work of evil Democrats bound and determined to destroy
St. Donald of the Double-cross. I hope they figure this shit out in time to get
crushed in the mid-terms.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled word-fest.
Despite Fey King Don’s self-professed “very,
very large uh-brain”, his delusional insistence that he “has the best words”
and is a “very stable genius”, the Moron of Mor-a-Lago is objectively the
dumbest, most deranged and most neurologically impaired creature to ever sully
the Oval Office.
So stupid and un-self-aware is Donny
Dumpsterfire, that he has repeatedly related the story of the snake and the
lady without a whiff of realization that in this story, originally one of
Aesop’s fables, later put to song by Oscar Brown, Jr. (below) and others, Donny
is the snake. The fact that he is a snake, and has been one his whole life
seems to have escaped Donny’s keen sense of psychosis.
Oscar
Brown, Jr. – The Snake
Somebody should hide Don’s fucking Adderall
so maybe he’ll fall asleep for a few weeks. At this point, he just might want
to sleep through this latest Epstein episode. I wish him hell. This whacko
never sleeps, and clearly spends all his waking hours thinking of more ways to
fuck everything all the way to hell.
All I can do is dig into
some health food…
mental health food
It’s not like he does anything except cheat at
golf, butcher the language and sign executive orders that are placed under his
Sharpie. It’s not like he has a fucking clue what’s going on in his own
administration:
Reporter: “Who ordered the pause [in aid to
Ukraine] last week ?”
Dumb-ass Don: “I don’t know. Why don’t you
tell me?”
Large, but not so much in charge apparently. Ignore-ance
personified.
While ignorance is the order of the day in this
administration, that’s not all they’re bringing to the table for America’s last
meal before its execution. In this second Trump administration case the stench
of dishonesty, incompetence and sociopathy is bordering on fatal. Certainly for
Ukraine (and by extension Europe?), and likely for this country.
We Are Just Following Executive Orders
Executive orders are not law. They can be removed
and reversed at the stroke of a new pen (even a robo-pen). This places them
below presidential pardons in seriousness, since pardons are forever. Laws are
the law because Congress said so. Then the Supreme Court decides to undo the
law at the whim of five (or up to nine) lifetime – often political –
appointees. In this case, there are six valiantly trying to enshrine fascism as
the replacement for our constitutional republic. Executive orders are just the
guy (maybe a woman in 100 years) at the top doing whatever the fuck he wants.
In this case, these orders are simply tantrums thrown by the man-baby in the
White House.
Here’s a look at presidential executive orders in
the first 100 days of several presidents:
Biden issued 42 in his first 100 days, (more than any president since
Harry Truman)
Roosevelt had half as many executive orders as
Grumpy and actually used them to move the nation forward by helping everyday
people. FDR also signed a shitload of bills into law, as opposed to the current
administration, which gives no shits about passing laws or obeying the laws we
already have.
Fool me once, shame on you. (Try to) Fool me
twice, go fuck yourself. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité!
__________________________________________________ *AKA the Fey King.
This has been your Paying Attention™ Schmuck Of The Day.
This
one’s kind of a toss-up, but we’re going with the underling-in-charge this
time. Our uncertainty will be obvious by the end here, so feel free to
disagree, but either way we’re up to our eyeballs in stupidity, chaos and peril.
Pete Kegseth, the very defensive secretary, and by all accounts the least competent… When
he’s not busy day drinking or primping for the cameras in his specially built make-up room in
the Pentagon, he’s doing The Lard’s work yelling – like a late-night-drunk
waiting for an “escort” two hours past closing time at his third dive bar of
the evening – at reporters who dare mention facts in his pathetic presence, or
lawmakers who dare question his inept and/or absurd actions, his unparalleled
ignorance, his dangerous incompetence or his almost Trumpian ability to lie
through his booze…I mean teeth.
By all appearances, Kegseth unilaterally cut off
funding to Ukraine a week or so ago – without telling Dear Doddering Leader.
When Dumb Don was asked by a reporter why the
funds were halted, he claimed ignorance:
Reporter: “Who ordered the pause [in military aid
to Ukraine] last week?”
Dumb-ass Don: “I don’t know. Why don’t you
tell me?”
I know I am, but what are you? Maybe you should
be president. Large, but not so much in charge apparently.
And then the demented follow-up, days later:
Different Reporter: “What does it say that such a big
decision could be made inside your government without you knowing?”
Same Dumb-ass Don: “Uh, I would know. If a decision
was made I will know. I’ll be the first to know, in fact most likely I give the
order, but I haven’t done that yet.” (actual quote)
Uh, what the fuck? Somebody call those
nice young men in their clean white coats to come and take him away,
this guy’s brain is goo. Maybe he’s got hisself one o’ them thar brain worms,
or maybe they’s a rabbit munching away in there. He’s like a boxer who’s been
knocked out but his body hasn’t figured it out yet.
While ignorance is the order of the day in this
administration, in this case the stench of dishonesty and incompetenceis bordering on fatal. Certainly for Ukraine
(and by extension Europe?), and likely for this country.
Fool me once, shame on you. (Try to) Fool me
twice, go fuck yourself.
This has been your Paying Attention™ Schmuck Of The Day.
U.S. battle-ready troops
in Somalia… Oops, it’s Los Angeles
Even so, one might do well to stay above the fray and
leave dumb enough alone. Not out of fear, though it seems that would be
entirely justified given the ongoing and expanding terror campaign, but out of
simple human decency.
We Would
Never…
Being overly
woke here at Paying Attention™, it would be completely out of character to make
light of the fact that Damaged Don Trump is suffering from a rapidly accelerating
mental decompensation. Or to not insist that it is unfair to put too much stock
in his cognitive decline since his brain has been on the fritz for a very,
very, long uh-time.
Mentally disabled doddering,
“dancing” dipshit (or so it's been said)
We would
never laugh hysterically at someone who routinely stammers, mispronounces,
demonstrates a Homer Simpson-esque level of ignorance, and walks like a penguin
with its shoelaces tied together. Laughing at a poor, demented, sniveling sad sack-of-shit like that would be rude and unprofessional.
This has been your Paying Attention™ Thought
For The Day.
As the dust from the worst July 4th began to settle a bit,
thanks to the signing into law(lessness) of one of the worst, most sweeping and
historically unpopular pieces of shit…I mean legislation ever foisted upon the
American public, some thoughts and prayers...I mean words made their way to press.
To be fair, it is not as bad as the genocide and slavery/racism
that comprise the very foundation of this nation, but it will rank very high on
the list of things that should never have happened in this country.
Freedom in America has always been conditional, but the arc
of America’s moral universe has generally bent toward justice, with the goal
(for some at least) being to one day live in a nation where people “will not be
judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” as
Martin Luther King, Jr. told us from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, steps
that would later need to be hosed off and decontaminated after being desecrated
by one of the most racist, autocratic and downright grotesque politicians in
American history. A man of artificial color, an anomalous shade of bile, fake
hair and a raging disdain for anyone not him.
This thing called Trump, intent on furthering his
Death-To-America policy with his horrifying Project 2025 and its legislative assassin – the Orwellian-named (I can’t say it, but it rhymes with Pig-Doody-Filled Kill)
signature policy potpourri, has taken what freedom we have achieved over 250
years on this continent, and turned it into FREEDOOM.
At no extra cost to you the nauseated taxpaying citizen, say
hello to multi-generational crushing national debt, possible multi-generational
personal debt all in service to completely unnecessary tax cuts for the richest
among us, violent, immigrant-hating ICE gestapo funded more than almost every
other country’s armed forces, revoked medical insurance for some 15 million
Americans*, food taken from the mouths of needy children (it’s like taking
candy from a baby, which might be next), rising health care and utility costs
for everyone, accelerated environmental destruction, the end of competent and
critical severe storm warnings, unregulated AI for the next 10 years, and so
much more you would surely rather not hear about. In a word, FREEDOOM.
Also, free measles, bird flu, covid and whatthefuckever for
everyone. Get yours today.
As if all this was not enough, get ready for a un-asked-for
third term for the cretin who brought you all the previously mentioned goodies, once Roberts and Alito figure out a work-around of that pesky Constitution - nothing has stopped them from pissing all over it so far.
____________________________________________ *Now with real concentration
camps! Just as Keith Olbermann predicted nearly two years ago:
“And where do
these detained non-citizens go? These places would in fact be camps, of some
kind, and the living arrangements would necessarily be cramped, crowded,
congested, confined — oh, what IS the word I’m looking for?
Concentrated!
That’s it!
The camps would be concentrated.
Camps. With
Concentration.”
Olbermann
did not however predict the camps would have catchy names (and merch) like
Alligator Auschwitz Alcatraz. U.S. Oy! U.S. Oy! U.S. Oy!
I. Mangrey reporting. Free (for now) but not doomed (yet).
The staff here at Paying Attention™ will not be celebrating
the Fourth of July this year. There is no joy in Trumpville today. All of us
here will be on democracy suicide watch. Too much shit. Too many fans. Independence Day will have to be put on hold
until such time as America can recover from hoisting itself with its own
petard.
America’s own petard
This Fourth of July will henceforth be known as Undependence
Day. While we remain untethered from the British Crown, we may very well be in
worse straights today than we were in 1776. Our nation’s fate is currently in
the tiny hands of a 34-time convicted felon, life-long con artist and long-time
rapist who incited an insurrection against the United States. He is spending
his likely ill-gotten presidency exacting revenge on everyone his twisted,
paranoid, brutish “mind” believes ever did anything unpleasant to him. Oh, and
let’s not forget all the crime and personal profit Trump is creating while pretending to
be president.
This human poop emoji is spending most of the 75% of the
time he is not cheating at golf by selling favors and pardons, bibles, craptocurrency,
Chinese cell phones with his stupid name stamped on them, his new, over-priced,
I’m guessing fart-scented cologne (which is unsurprisingly festooned with a
tiny golden statue of you-know-who), and very likely national security secrets,
which one assumes his continues to steal on a regular basis. Trump, all by
himself, is currently the top 40 most corrupt presidents in American history.*
Musical Interlude
Steppenwolf –
Monster
Fuh King Monsters
Our life has been handcuffed to a ticking timebomb, our
liberty has been assaulted nearly to death and our pursuit of happiness has
been rendered inoperative by this sniveling shit-stain who has taken the tater
out of dictator. And he is nowhere near finished destroying and dis-mentaling
these United States.
Big Murderous Bill
“Death-To-America” Don forced his cult members and other assorted
cowards in the Fascist/Trump Party to ram through one of the most
backward-looking, economically and socially damaging, and staggeringly
unpopular, even among many of the mindless fucksters who voted for
the dumpster-fire-of-a-bill (probably without ever reading it), dumpster-fire-of-a-bill so the Fuh King can sign what might be America’s death warrant into “law” on what
used to be Independence Day.
Complete and utter billshit. Kill baby kill. Kill the poor, kill the
environment, kill people of color, kill democracy. The moniker 'Independence Day' will
have to be reclaimed, possibly with, as Thomas Jefferson said in response to the
Shays Rebellion of Massachusetts farmers protesting economic injustice and lack
of representation, “the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with
the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Thomas
Jefferson, 1787
This high-speed ride on a brakeless train is only just
beginning, barring some miracle, and many of us, crazy-glued to our seats, can
easily see that the rails have been blown to smithereens a little ways ahead.
The only thing America in the year 2025 is independent of is
the democracy (such as it was and is) for which the Revolutionary War was
fought.
Okay, so this the extent to which we will acknowledge America's Independence Day…
Larson - Washington Crossing
the Street (He’s
now wishing he’d been run over by a bus)
_________________________________________________ *This statistic is completely
made up, and yet at the same time, likely understating the case. Either way,
who gives a flying fuck if it’s made up at this point?
Wish you were near enough to King Donald to smell his glorious anal
vapors? Of course you do – you’re a MAGAt. It is well known that your favorite
president of all time emits a number of aromas from various orifices. Each scent is unique. Each can make roses hide their blossoms in shame. Sure it looks like
wilting, that’s just what the fake news wants you to believe.
Dear Leader Don wants everyone to have the privilege to
inhale bigly of his fast-food-fueled flatulence whenever they want to. Well, that is
everyone who still has $249 to shell out.
(Figurine
hands are actual size)
The guy whose basement is where these coveted gasses are
bottled wanted to call the new fragrance Smells Like Spleen Spirit, but the gas
man wanted to call it Victory. And what Donny wants, Donny gets. Just ask
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Why do you think they call him “John”? because he’s repeatedly
full of shit, that’s why.
SPECIAL OFFER!!!!!! C'MON SUCKERS
Just in time for Donald Trump Day, formerly known as
Independence Day, this brand new stench can be yours for a song…and $249…and
you can keep your lousy song if you want. And for just one dollar more, you can
get every record ever recorded.
Act now and get an ICE crusher!
Tune in Friday for a special Paying Attention™ holiday edition.
__________________________________________ *Title of a Benjamin Franklin
book.
