Q NOTES # 519: Short Cuts 35

Just finished reading the Daily Kos coverage of Joe's address to the nation regarding the mess in Afghanistan. It seems to me he touched all the bases, and explained his reasons for taking the steps he took. I'm satisfied, and anyone who condemns his actions is someone who would condemn him for personally finding a cure for the delta variant. Yeah, fat stinking turd, that means you. Especially you.

Meanwhile, in the great sinkhole of Texas, Greg A-Butt continues to prove he's totally unfit for his position. See, as long as there are places in the United States where (R) assholes are allowed to make rules, we'll always be dealing with worse problems here than what happens in Afghanistan. Joe has what may be one of the two hardest jobs in the world: cleaning up the ungodly mess made by the former guy (whose single term is the worst avoidable mistake America ever made).

Q NOTES # 510: Short Cuts 28

Another one bites the dust. No big loss.

Meanwhile, more Republicans join the House select 1/6 committee, making it a bipartisan effort which will also be investigating the criminal aspects of former guy's attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Q NOTES # 495: Short Cuts 21

I just read an interesting essay @ Daily Kos regarding unintended consequences experienced by the (R) party after successful efforts to detach their base from reality. Recommended.

The (R)s took a strong-arm approach to seat three new right-wing justices on the Supreme Court. Now Democrats should use their own strong-arm approach to pass potent voting rights and infrastructure legislation.

Cable news talking heads like Sean Hannjob and Pucker Carlson of Fox News will always try to have it both ways eventually.

It might not have been completely predictable, but it's certainly not surprising that the bogus "audit" of the Maricopa County ballots in Arizona has reached a cessation of sorts with no final report to be issued. This was a total farce and an inexcusable waste of tax dollars and state resources, so naturally Texas wants to be next in the butt-sniffing competition. Since Cheezy won Texas, what's the fucking point?

Here's my opinion: I think print and electronic media should devote increased coverage to trump lumps who happily ignored every warning about masks and vaccinations, then got sick and now wish they hadn't been so damned stupid. People like that are already popping up, and soon there will be more of them.

Q NOTES # 489: Short Cuts 17

Worthless political hack Greg Abbott, trying hard to nail down the title of Worst Fucking Governor of Texas Ever, has decided to ignore problems created by the COVID pandemic, and the precarious situation with the Texas electrical power grid. Instead, he'll focus his attention on (a) curtailing the ability of Democrats to vote, and (b) completing the construction of the border wall between Texas and Mexico.

According to a recent poll, about 66 percent of the RepubliQAns in southern states are in favor of secession. I'm a little surprised the total isn't higher, maybe 75 percent at least. It's a safe bet that nearly all of them have little or no ability to seriously think through all the ramifications of that position.

The idiots in Iowa who thought abortions would cease if Planned Parenthood couldn't receive Medicaid reimbursement for services are dealing with unintended consequences now.

I try to avoid The Hill because the magazine tends to load up on right-wing horse manure like this article by a trump lump named Conrad Black, who's written a book on the greatness of the Cheez Doodle era, and now a piece for The Hill explaining how the Doodle can be reelected in 2024 by re-inventing himself as the paragon of serenity, moderation, and calm competence. Apparently Conrad missed 2016-2020 because he spent entire days engrossed in masturbation or similar activities, and hasn't realized that the Doodle is totally incapable of making even minute changes in his personality. He really is who he is.

As if the idea of transformation wasn't ridiculous enough, Conrad theorizes that after a few years of Joe Biden's leadership, the American people will be swimming in nostalgia for Making and Keeping America Great (again), and will be salivating at an opportunity to restore the Majestic Mango to his rightful throne.

Q NOTES # 483: Short Cuts 14

At the second CPAC get-together of 2021, the sad fact that the United States isn't meeting its goal for COVID vaccination is considered worth a standing ovation, or at least cheering and loud applause. It's obvious that the worst of the trump lumps are so depraved and deranged that long prison terms are probably too lenient. They're trying to live in worlds that only exist in their insane imaginations.

Daily Kos @ let the deposition begin, and let it be televised. 

The sign at the entrance to the grocery store where I shopped this morning no longer stated that masks would be required. It said instead that masks were optional for customers who have been fully vaccinated. On the surface, that seems reasonable. Unfortunately, I don't trust the flaming assholes who are refusing vaccination to abide by anything resembling an honor code. I estimated that roughly half of the Sunday morning shoppers I passed were wearing masks, as I was. I guessed many of them had been, like me, fully vaccinated, but were masked to protect themselves from the assholes who weren't. It's a damned shame that most of the adults in this state are idiots of the trump lump variety. It's not surprising that the latest CPAC meeting is being held in Dallas.

Q NOTES # 462: The meaning of words

When red state RepubliQans claim their legislation will protect the security of elections, what they really mean by protecting the security is not the same as what they want us to think they mean. Not by a damn sight.

The QAnon right-wing conspiracy theory lunatics fluctuate between being scary and being laughable. They're scary when they're smashing windows in the Capitol, and laughable any time they aren't committing violent crimes. One of the lingering questions of 2021 is "Will those assholes ever wise up and realize Cheezy's ready to shovel this bullshit indefinitely?"

Thus far, at least nine out of ten assholes are apparently capable of infinite self-deception when it comes to Cheezy.

An update on the Delta variant, with some good news (for those who've been vaccinated) and bad news (for those who haven't been). All those dimwits who decided COVID was over may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Every RepubliQan in Congress who was in on the insurrection conspiracy needs to be exposed and penalized. Despite what the infotainment vermin at Fox News are saying, the FBI wasn't responsible for the 1/6 treason, but the FBI is investigating those who were.

The Texas Tribune discusses Greg Abbott, ERCOT and ignorance. There are plenty of good Texans who get screwed because so many dullards keep voting for worthless political hacks like Abbott, Patrick, Cruz, Paxton and Gohmert. There's more on this topic @ Salon.

According to Washington Post, Mississippi has the lowest percentage of COVID-vaccinated residents, followed by Alabama, Arkansas, Wyoming, Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee. A pattern is developing here, and it may eventually spell trouble for SEC football.

Q NOTES # 407: Awards

We watched the Oscar presentation ceremony on ABC last night. I've seen nearly all of the Oscar shows that have been on network TV as long as I've owned a TV set, and this is the first year that I hadn't seen a single movie that was nominated in any category, including sound, photography, film editing, or screenplay. Some of the films that were nominated seemed interesting, particularly the one called Nomadland. Maybe we'll buy that if it's released on Blu-ray later this year.

Q NOTES # 379

Real life has been hectic enough recently to keep me distracted, and disinterested in most of what passes for news these days. Joe Biden is collecting positive reviews for his management of the COVID vaccination program, but the media hacks prefer to interrogate him about his plans for 2024: Will he run again or won't he? Really, who gives a fuck about that right now?

I really hope that Dominion Voting Systems makes those assholes at Fox News wish to god they'd never heard of Porky Prick. 

Bipartisan consensus, cooperation, compromise? Yeah, those are all things that would be nice to see as the federal government moves smoothly and rapidly to clean up the enormous mess the former guy left behind when he retreated to Mar-a-Loogie in January. The only problem is that none of those things will happen until at least 240 of the RepubliQAns currently seated in Congress are sent packing once and for all.

If we're compiling a list of the 10,000 worst things Porky did in 2020, having mental defectives defending him publicly should be near the top. And, for the record, there are a bunch more who need to be slapped down hard and sentenced to some serious prison time. They're no better than terrorists. 

In terms they'll understand: Whomp 'em upside the haid.

Speaking of dealing sternly with ignorant assholes and other dumbfucks, COVID-19 passports are an idea whose time has arrived, or soon will.

Q NOTES # 361

Former guy Porky Prick (aka Comrade Cherkinoff) issued a bulletin insisting that every American who gets the COVID-19 vaccination remember those shots are only available because he made it possible.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who has the physical appearance of a ghoul crossed with a serial killer, recommends that states refuse to accept the windfalls heading their way via the COVID stimulus legislation (ARP) that Congress approved w/o any RepubliQan votes. I'm anxious to see which states follow this advice.

Meanwhile, other RepubliQans think red states should grab all those federal dollars coming their way to offset huge cuts in state taxes. The typical (R) response to everything: More tax cuts now!

Joe's new AG, Merrick Garland, received a standing O at the DOJ. Did Bo Sessions or Booger Billy get standing O's? If either one did, I never heard about it.

Texas is more or less an upscale version of Alabama, and the only area in which Texas consistently leads the country is in the number of times it tries out the idea of seceding from the United States.

Q NOTES # 350: Piled Higher and Deeper

USA TODAY @ CPAC ~ Former Guy is expected to proclaim himself the leader of the RepubliQan Party, and will criticize the first month of the current administration as a disaster. The ridiculous bullshit never ends with Porky Prick. It just goes on and on and on.

When a RepubliQan talks about bipartisan agreement, he means the (R)s got everything they wanted from the (D)s.

Update 4:51 PM Sunday: Oh, happy days! Apparently Fox News is the only network willing to waste precious minutes of human life showing Former Guy's major CPAC address to the nation live. The less TV exposure Porky Prick gets, the sooner he'll reach irrelevance - and that's something that can't get here soon enough.

Update 11:43 PM Sunday: Porky Prick, with a lot of help from Moscow Mitch, was able to seat three hardcore right-wingers on the Supreme Court, and that probably is a factor in the contempt for the Court he expressed at CPAC. Don't they understand their role is to overturn the election for him? I imagine his tax records being in the hands of the Manhattan DA figures into his thinking too. 

Porky Prick and his butt boy Kevin

Q NOTES # 345

Every Senate (R) who voted to confirm any Cheez Doodle nominee for any position should be prohibited from voting against anyone nominated by Joe Biden, since they obviously lack the ability to recognize qualified individuals. 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar first caught my attention as a (D) candidate in the presidential primary last year. If anyone is gonna give Russia Ron Johnson a good ass-kicking for being a worthless turd, it may as well be Amy.

Q NOTES # 339: Ice

Texas is collapsing under the weight of a severe winter storm that's in its fourth day with no immediate end in sight. The state wasn't prepared for an event like this one, and it's pretty simple to connect the blame for that lack of preparedness to the right-wing politics that dominate state government (see ERCOT for additional information). 

Since his state is facing a catastrophe that's made worse by (R) policies, it was predictable that Gov. Greg Abbott would appear on Fox News with Sean Hannity, attempting to shift the blame to liberals. Most (R) voters in Texas rely on Fox News for their misinformation.

Updated 3:22 PM Wed: Daily Kos is carrying a report on the Texas ERCOT debacle. The moral of the story is simple: When conservatives are allowed to set policy and make the rules long enough, the disasters that result are inevitable. In this case, the policy and the rules involve manipulation of supply and demand to maximize profit-taking.

Updated 5:13 PM Wed: Right-wing AM radio host Rush Limbaugh finally bit the bullet after months of hinting his end was near. I imagine this news will make what was already a rotten week even worse for many Texans. Not all of them, of course.

Updated 5:25 PM Wed: Rick Perry, formerly a gub-mint employee in Cheez Doodle's cabinet, suggests that real Texicans would gladly freeze to death rather than comply with federal energy regulations. The possibility he's right would explain a lot of things.

Q NOTES # 327

After four years of Cheez Doodle's corruption and incompetence, it's hard to find any "good" RepubliQans in the federal government. We've reached the point where somebody like Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska can look pretty good simply by not being a complete lunatic.

Daily Kos: RepubliQans seem concerned that Cheez Doodle's second Senate impeachment trial may be embarrassing. If they're lucky, it will be embarrassing. If I have things my way, it will be the most excruciatingly painful experience of their worthless lives.

More from Kos: A look at the 2-minute fascist propaganda film that Cheezy showed the mob right before he launched their attack on January 6th. That's some disturbing shit. 

Same game, new rules? Demoting Moscow Mitch to minority leader was a step in the right direction. If polls are accurate, Americans approve of the new president and his policy agenda, and after 48 months of eating shit sandwiches served by Cheez Doodle, maybe people are ready for a real meal. Anyway, it looks as though the right moves are being made. 

Additional confirmation of something we've known since Day One: Cheez Doodle was never interested in doing the work of a president; he just wanted to use the gig to channel tax revenue and campaign donations into a money pit for his personal use. 

Q NOTES # 322: Picking Up the Tab

I have USA TODAY bookmarked because I enjoy working the daily online crossword puzzle. While I'm there, I routinely scan the headlines in various sections, which is how I came across an op-ed that I really agree with overall. It makes an argument that those who incited and carried out the criminal insurrection on January 6th should be held responsible for the massive costs resulting from property damage, etc. The one person who is primarily responsible for inciting the insurrection is also the wealthiest. Yeah, Cheez Doodle, we're talking about YOU, motherfucker.

Apparently, five attorneys who were retained to defend El Cheezo in his 2nd impeachment trial have told him thanks, but no thanks. The specific reasons aren't completely clear, but reports are that El Cheezo demanded the entire defense be based on the tired old phony allegations that his landslide win in the November election was stolen from him by Democrat fraud. Does that asshole think the trial will be cancelled if no one's willing to present his case?

More good news on Sunday morning @ Daily Kos: Members are abandoning El Cheezo's club, since it's now seen as just another Trump chump dump. 

During the first two years of El Cheezo's admenstruation (sic), the (R) Party controlled the White House and Congress, did pretty much what they fucking well pleased, and didn't give a shit whether the Democrats in Congress liked it or not. Now that Democrats control the White House and Congress, the (R)s have to face the fact that Democrats might do what they damn well please without caring how (R)s feel about it. And any time Susan Collins is part of the proposition, you know it'll suck. Same old same old.

When you study the numbers after the last election, it turns out that Joe & Kamala and the Democratic members of the House and Senate won a LOT more votes than El Cheezo and the (R) members of Congress won. The (R)s get more power with fewer voters because of the peculiar rules that structure our government, but in terms of the popular vote, they ARE the minority party and have been for years. There's no particular reason to crawl for (R) support, since they never crawl for Democratic support.

El Cheezo, Moscow Mitch, Rafael (Ted) Cruz, and the House Freedom Caucus have essentially killed the concept of bipartisanship, so (D)s should stop worrying about it and do what they need to do to clean up the damn mess. If 100 senators vote to convict El Cheezo after the 2nd impeachment trial, maybe we can start thinking about bipartisan unity. Maybe.

Q NOTES # 311: Inauguration Day

For 48 months, I've been hoping to live long enough to see this day. So, mission accomplished.

Hit the road, motherfucker. And while you're at it, take gas.

On the official list of pardons that's been made public so far, the names of Cheez Doodle and his rotten spawn do not appear. What's up with that shit?

Joe and Kamala took the oath in Washington D.C. and civil war did not erupt, although we were told to expect it. 

Cheez Doodle is spreading the word that he may establish his own personal political party, misnamed the Patriot Party since none of its members will ever meet the definition of patriot. Nonetheless, Cheezy should be encouraged to pursue this effort, which will make it easier for Democrats to win elections by siphoning votes away from Republican candidates.

Update 11:49 PM: For what it's worth, the Proud Boys are apparently beginning to realize they been had by Cheezy's Big Scam.

Q NOTES # 304: Less Than One Week Left

Unless something really weird happens, by this time one week from today, Cheez Doodle will have returned to private citizen status, and all of the emoluments and legal immunity he's stolen from America will be gone. There's a lot of reporting on the Internet that the lard ass is in big trouble financially and legally. Today, the House impeached his sorry ass again, this time with some (R) votes, ten to be exact.

Now the process moves to the Senate, where the outcome is less certain. It's not exactly probable, but it's possible that enough Senate (R)s will cross over to join the Democrats in convicting him. That would be a suitable ending to this disgusting chapter in American history.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Cheez Doodle is issuing a cursory appeal to the American people, which presumably includes the Proud Boys, the boogaloo boys, and all those other 'boys' whose boyhood ended 20 or 30 years ago. We're supposed to believe that Cheezy is seeking peace, love and understanding during the transfer of power and Joe's inauguration next week. Personally, I'm not buying it, since it has the unmistakable stench of that meaningless bullshit Cheezy typically shovels out when he knows his ass is between a rock and a hard place, and he needs to substitute a fresh new con for a stale old one.  

FOOTBALL 2020: COVID Version Week 9

Buzzard luck is when you can't kill nothin' and can't find nothin' dead. This season, Texas A&M is having buzzard luck. 

Since the second game (blowout loss at Alabama), the Aggies have been playing better than in any season since 2012, and this is the first season ever that they've had the look of an SEC contender (balanced offense, solid defense, effective performance by special teams). With a record of 5-1, the Aggies are  a legitimate Top 10 team (ranked 5th in AP poll). After routing South Carolina in the sixth game, A&M looked strong enough to beat the four teams remaining on their schedule (Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn), with Auburn being the biggest threat.

As buzzard luck would have it, the best A&M team in years may not play the rest of the season. Due to COVID protocols, last week's game at Tennessee was rescheduled, and today's home game against Ole Miss has been postponed indefinitely. This isn't an issue that's affecting only A&M, but the next time the Aggies play a complete schedule, the team itself may not be as complete as this one seems to be. That's buzzard luck.

FOOTBALL 2020: COVID Version Week 8

In 2020, the biggest surprises are often things that DON'T happen. 

In August, I expected the entire college football season to be cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Instead, the major conferences worked out alternative plans to allow a modified schedule of games to be played. 

Then, after two games, I expected Texas A&M to struggle against an all-SEC schedule, probably finishing around 4-6. Instead, since the rout at Alabama, the Aggies have played some of the best A&M football I've seen since Sumlin's first season (2012) with Manziel at QB. After four consecutive wins that featured strong defense, effective offense, and efficient special team performance, Texas A&M is 5-1 and nationally ranked (fifth in the AP poll behind Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Clemson).

COVID finally disrupted the season, however. The game against Tennessee that was set for tomorrow has been postponed until 12 December. Assuming play can be resumed next week, A&M should be able to finish the season with a good record. The remaining games against Ole Miss (2-4), LSU (2-3), Auburn (4-2), and Tennessee (2-4) appear to be winnable as things stand today.

Q NOTES, DAY 233: ELECTION NOTES

I'm planning to stay calm as long as possible, and track the election on the Internet. The liberal websites that I follow do a good job of staying up with the latest developments, and frankly, the television news presentations stress me out. If anything important or interesting is said on TV, it will be on the Internet soon. For me, reading about what's happening on TV beats watching it happen on TV.

So far, I've seen reports that turnout is high in suburban Ohio, which may be a good sign for Joe in one of Cheezy's must-have states. 

Last summer, I saw a lot of predictions that November weather and the Microbes from Hell would potentially drive down voter participation in November. From what I've read so far, that isn't happening. Numerous reports that voting is going much more smoothly than expected.

FOOTBALL 2020: COVID Version Week 6

After an open date, Texas A&M (3-1) resumes the season at home against long-time rival Arkansas (2-2). The game will be shown on SEC Network at 6:30 PM Texas time. 

In the old Southwest Conference, Arkansas ruined a lot of Saturdays for me when they beat the Aggies in football, and that continued after Arkansas ditched the SWC for the SEC, and played A&M in non-conference games. 

Eventually the teams ended up together in the SEC West, and in the games played as division rivals since 2012, the Aggies own an 8-0 record. The first match was a 58-10 blowout at Kyle Field, but since then the games have been reasonably close, with A&M winning three of them in OT. 

Arkansas comes to Kyle Field as a 12.5 point underdog, but the word is that the razorbacks are improved this year so the game will probably be a grind (as it often has been). College Football News predicts A&M will outlast the hogs with a 30-17 win.

The only other game that I'm interested in is the SEC showcase match at 2:30 PM on CBS, featuring LSU (2-2) favored by a FG at Auburn (3-2). My interest in the game is based on the fact that A&M plays both teams later in the season. This LSU team isn't the juggernaut that won the national championship with its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback last year, but is still a road favorite. College Football News expects Auburn to come out on top is a close 34-30 win. 

Update 10:18 PM Saturday: Texas A&M has played fairly impressively on offense, defense, and special teams in three consecutive games, defeating Florida, Mississippi State, and now Arkansas (42-31). Earlier today, Auburn crushed LSU in a blowout. If A&M can beat South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and LSU, this could be a memorable season for reasons other than the pandemic restrictions.