Aug 20, 2026
There's A Reason For That
There has to be a rebirth of expertise, and that requires a rebirth of respect for people's real abilities - and a resurgence of actual common sense.
Not the phony kind of common sense that so many conservatives and libertarians are trying to substitute for knowledge because they've spent so much time convincing themselves they don't need to know anything - they just need to adopt a radical skepticism that allows them to feel smart without having to do any real work.
I can take myself as a fair example.
I'm a generalist. A generalist is someone who knows less and less about more and more until he knows practically nothing about almost everything.
After 73 years, I'm the intellectual equivalent of the Platte River - my knowledge base is a mile wide and an inch deep. Too thick to drink and too thin to plow.
But because I actually know quite a bit about a few things, and because I'm a good salesman, I can spin it all into giving people the impression that I'm smarter than I actually am.
If I'm not careful, my ego gets in the way - sometimes to the point where I can flop all the way over into Cliff Clavin territory. Fake lord forgive me my sins.
So I have to be careful not to overstep my limitations. I have to look for - and listen for - people who carry real bona fides on a given subject, and shift my conversation from declaring what I know (or think I know) to a more inquisitive thing where I can put what I think on the table, and ask if there's something I've missed, or I've gotten wrong, or if there's something new I can learn.
So anyway, the main point is to remember what's supposed to help us maintain a certain humility:
The more we learn, the more we have to understand how much more there is for us to learn.
It's The Stupid Economy
The point of Bessent's buy-back was to ease the upward pressure. Bond investors are demanding a better deal - higher interest yields - in order to buy our debt.
The higher the yield, the more our debt costs us. And at $40 trillion, our debt service is costing us over $3 billion a day - more than a trillion dollars every year - which eats into the economic growth we have to post just to stay even.
Bad shit comin', bubba.
Aug 19, 2026
Another Day, Another Dog-Ass Republican
Always. Always. Always. They're always doing what they tell us they hate - or what they accuse others of doing. Like they believe - hard - that if they just stay on the attack, we won't notice what fuckin' dirtbags they are.
Palm Beach County Clerk of Court Michael Caruso, a former Republican state legislator who previously backed the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering children under 12, was arrested Tuesday on five felony child sex abuse charges.
The 67-year-old married father of seven who was appointed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces five felony counts: kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring or enticing a child and child abuse causing mental injury, an arrest affidavit shows.
Investigators in Florida say Caruso violated a child—who is a relative—and allege the abuse occurred multiple times from fall 2024 to August 2025, including on a family cruise, a fishing outing and during a Thanksgiving gathering. The child has been receiving therapeutic services since April 2026, according to the police affidavit.
“Being in a position of public trust provides no shield from accountability,” state Attorney General James Uthmeier said. "This individual will face the full force of the law.”
DeSantis, who named Caruso to serve as court clerk and comptroller in August 2025, immediately suspended him from office Tuesday upon learning of the allegations.
“It was a very easy decision for me to yank him from that position," DeSantis said during a Tuesday news conference.
When asked whether he or anyone in his administration was aware of the allegations against Caruso before his appointment, he answered "of course not.”
“He had a clean vet, he was well-regarded in the community,” DeSantis said, calling the alleged crimes “horrific.”
Florida is the first state to reintroduce the death penalty for convicted pedophiles, DeSantis said, and if Caruso is convicted, "he is going to be in a world of hurt.”
What Bill Did Caruso Support?
While representing District 87 in the Florida House, Caruso backed what is now known as the 2023 Florida Capital Sexual Battery law. The legislation allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering a child under the age of 12. Caruso is listed as a “Yea” in the April 13, 2023, House vote. DeSantis signed the bill in May 2023 and it took effect six months later.
The Republican is up for reelection in November but is not appearing on Tuesday’s primary ballot, as he is running uncontested. The Florida GOP called on Caruso to immediately drop out of the race.
“While this is surprising news for our entire team, it does not change who we are at the Clerk’s Office or our commitment to the community and customers we serve,” the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s Office said in an email to Newsweek.
Following the arrest, Shannon Ramsey-Chessman was sworn in as clerk ad interim. As of Tuesday afternoon, Caruso’s official page on the clerk's office website was unavailable.
Caruso was booked into the Orange County jail and is being held without bond. The investigation remains ongoing and Uthmeier's office expects more charges.
Trump's Promises
Trump is that truly shitty boss that everybody's had at one time or another. The guy who thinks leadership is just ordering people around.
He says, "This is what I want - now you guys go figure it out."
JoJo Jams
Don't give the bully what he wants. You don't pretend they're not dangerous, you just refuse to pretend they're impressive.
Brilliant bit of insight from JoJo From Jerz.
Space Junk
First - I didn't know we had a spacecraft orbiting the moon. I think I should've known that, but I didn't.
Second - I think it's pretty fuckin' cool that we have a spacecraft orbiting the moon.
Because third - even if we don't get video of Elon's fuckup crashing into the moon, at least we get to see the hole it made.
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