No Kings Wrap Up

She makes a good point about the next Dem POTUS. We have to have somebody who'll figure out how to get after people who are trying hard to fuck this thing up for the rest of us. And do it in a way that makes it obvious that it's not just political. The shit Trump is pulling has an inoculating effect, so it's gotta be righteous enough to withstand the shit we're going to get from the wingnut media.

BTW, the Trumplefuck who crashed and burned on the curb (starting at about 16:50) - that was in Denver. A Giants fan to boot. The kid shouldn't have grabbed his glasses, and that other kid shouldn't have tripped him - these are dumb things to do. Of course, maybe the guy shouldn't have called anybody a "fag" - these are "fightin' words". Just sayin'. Very glad it wasn't worse.

Wait - What?

If only we could count on people being reasonable.

That Weird Video

Trump is telling you what he's doing to you, MAGA - you stupid fucks.

It's a fairly simple extension of LBJ's  "If you can convince the worst white man that he's better than the best black man, he'll empty his pockets for you."

The worst of the MAGA deplorables believe Trump is fucking over the liberals more than he's fucking them over, so they're good with it.

Who You Be

I'll stop calling you racist Nazi assholes when you stop being racist Nazi Assholes.

See how that works?

Today's Pix

click it to pick it

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Today's Roads With Belle

A wrap-up of under-the-radar stuff.

Tagline for an entire generation of shit:

"Things may not be as Trump claims"

And how do I short the AI bubble?

About Yesterday

‘No Kings’ protests in Denver, across Colorado draw tens of thousands in opposition to Trump

Demonstrators assemble at Capitol and in more than 50 Colorado cities, towns to protest president’s policies

From the lawn of Denver’s Capitol to the streets of Grand Junction, Coloradans turned out across the state Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” movement to protest the policies and actions of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators in downtown Denver and in more than 50 Colorado cities and towns marched against the deployment of federal agents and military forces into U.S. cities, targeting of immigrant families, and threats to the country’s electoral, environmental protection, health care and education systems, according to organizers.

Demonstrators gathered peacefully along streets and overpasses, in parks and downtown districts, in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Littleton, Arvada, Thornton, Commerce City, Loveland, Broomfield, Longmont and Boulder.

Outside of the Front Range, organizers planned protests in small Eastern Plains communities, including Lamar and La Junta, and Western Slope towns such as Cortez and Steamboat Springs.

In Denver, thousands filled Civic Center and spilled onto nearby streets, wearing everything from jeans and flannel shirts to inflatable unicorn and dinosaur suits. Demonstrators hoisted mostly handmade signs decrying Trump and fascism, while others wrote messages supporting democracy and collective action.

“Trump skis in jeans,” one sign stated. “German soldiers were just following orders, too,” said another.

Niwot resident Dan Weitz, 62, was clad in a chicken costume — inspired in part by similar outfits worn by protesters in Portland, Oregon — and held a sign that read “I hate American Nazis” with a photo of the Blues Brothers.

He said showing up to protests like the “No Kings” gathering at the state Capitol teaches people that they’re not alone.

“I have always been pro-America and pro-democracy, and to watch Congress abdicate their responsibility as an equal branch of government… it’s got to be called out,” he said.

Protesters of all ages milled about Civic Center for about an hour Saturday afternoon as speakers addressed the crowd, which ranged from families pushing babies in strollers to demonstrators in their late 70s.

Thornton father-and-son duo Marcus and Mosa Farmer, 48 and 21 years old, said they came to the protest to air their opposition to the Trump administration.

“It’s important for people to make their voices heard, especially with our democracy being demolished before our eyes and our freedoms being taken away,” Mosa Farmer said.

“This whole country started as a protest against decisions being made without the people’s input,” Marcus Farmer added.

Littleton resident Tia Decolati, 26, said she turned out to support the community and because she feels the Trump administration is harming a lot of people.

“The administration’s narrative is that protests are violent, don’t make a difference, and mean we hate our country,” she said. “So many people marching together shows that’s not true. There are so many different things people are angry and upset about, and the fact that people want to come together… (shows) we are walking together in solidarity.”

Taking to the streets

Crowds began marching out of the park and onto Colfax Avenue around 1 p.m., continuing west down 15th Street and beyond.

A steady stream of demonstrators continued to join the march for at least 30 minutes, chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”

Denverites Cynthia Strawbridge, 73, and Nelson Chase, 77, stood by the columns of the Voorhies Memorial and watched as marchers passed by.

They have attended every Denver protest since January, angered by cuts to foreign aid, the firing of federal workers and what they said was government propaganda.

“The Boomer generation, some people get blamed for where we’re at, so we feel like it’s time to do our part again,” Strawbridge said.

She put her hand over her heart as she talked about how many young people she saw at the protest. “It feels really good to see,” she said.

Larger than June protest

Chase said Saturday’s event seemed double or triple the size of the June “No Kings” protest in Denver, which drew an estimated 20,000 people. Event organizers could not be reached for comment, but previously had said they expected more than 12,000 people at Saturday’s demonstration.

Denver Police Department officials said the agency does not estimate crowd sizes.

A little after 3:30 p.m., Denver police said on social media that it appeared most demonstrators had left the Capitol and downtown following what they called a peaceful march. Lincoln Street at 14th Avenue remained closed, but other intersections along Colfax Avenue and Broadway had reopened.

Denver police said they made only one arrest during Saturday afternoon’s main demonstration — for possession of a knife. But officials later said police dispersed a small group of marchers who were trying to get onto Interstate 25 near 20th and Chestnut streets. Denver police said they arrested 11 people “during secondary marches, not the primary event.”

Officers started closing more roads Saturday evening because of ongoing protest activity, the agency said on social media.

As of 7:20 p.m., rolling road closures were happening along South Broadway south of 10th Avenue; near Sixth Avenue and Santa Fe Drive; and on Lincoln Street south of 13th Avenue.

Saturday’s demonstration appeared to cause fewer disruptions to public transportation in downtown Denver compared to June, when Regional Transportation District officials closed Union Station and suspended most light rail service for several hours.

The agency detoured at least seven bus routes on Saturday afternoon because of the Lincoln Street closure near Civic Center, but all service at Civic Center and Union stations was back to normal as of 4 p.m., officials said on social media.

‘I just think that’s unfair’

In northern Colorado, thousands of people gathered along Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland on Saturday afternoon with signs and costumes, and played music as they demonstrated against the Trump administration.

Loveland resident Cheryl Barry, 68, said she joined the protest because she believed it could change the direction of the country — adding that she had witnessed nonviolent protest work firsthand in the past.

“Peaceful protest changed how we feel about Vietnam — it changed how we feel about civil rights. Hopefully, it will change how we feel about Donald Trump, too,” she said.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Longmont on Saturday afternoon, far exceeding the roughly 1,000 people organizers say had registered for the event.

Susan Conversano said she attended Longmont’s “No Kings” demonstration for many reasons, including to support immigrants and oppose tariffs. She was impressed by the signs her fellow protesters were holding.

“I am overwhelmed by the immense creativity and the heart that people have put into this,” Conversano said. “Sometimes, it actually brings me to tears.”

In Greeley, Naomi Valles Perez , 19, and her boyfriend, Bryan Mendoza , 18, had a very specific reason for showing up Saturday.

“I think it’s unfair ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) can just go out on the streets, profile people and just take them away,” Mendoza said. “To hear that my family can be taken away just like that, not even for any reason, I just think that’s unfair.”

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse said he stopped by the Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville and Fort Collins protests on his way to the Boulder and Erie events. Neguse, a Democrat representing Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, said it was “incredible” to see so many people at the Longmont protest.

“It’s a privilege to be able to walk with the folks here,” he said.

‘In this country, there are no kings’

Coloradans who demonstrated on Saturday were among nearly 7 million protesters across the country, “No Kings” organizers said in a news release, an increase of 2 million participants compared to June.

People joined demonstrations in more than 2,700 cities in all 50 states, the group said. Demonstrators packed New York City’s Times Square, Boston Common, Chicago’s Grant Park and hundreds of smaller public spaces.

This is the third national mass protest since Trump returned to the White House in January, and comes as a government shutdown has shuttered federal programs and services and tests the country’s core balance of power.

“Today, millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one man’s ambition,” Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, who are part of the “No Kings” coalition, said in a statement. “…This movement isn’t about a single protest; it’s about a growing chorus of Americans who refuse to be ruled. Trump may want a crown, but in this country, there are no kings."

One Scalp At A Time

This has been brewing since Andrew's dalliance with Koo Stark in the 80s. There's always been somewhat scandalous behavior amongst the British Royals, and I don't know why anyone would be surprised at any of this.

Money buys power, and power buys immunity from the kind of everyday accountability that the rest of us can expect for ourselves.

I have no sympathy for Poor Little Rich Kids who get spanked and sent to their rooms once every 40 years.

Prince Andrew gives up royal titles amid Epstein fallout

Andrew has been under intense scrutiny over his relationship with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew has surrendered his titles, including the Duke of York, amid growing pressure over a series of scandals, including his alleged ties with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement Friday evening.

Andrew has been under intense scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein — the American financier and convicted sex offender who ran a network that exploited and trafficked underage girls. He faced backlash over a civil sexual-assault court case brought in the U.S. by Virginia Giuffre, which was eventually settled, and over his involvement with an alleged Chinese spy.

“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” Andrew added in his statement, “vigorously” denying the accusations against him.

The announcement comes just days before the release of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which reportedly details three occasions on which Andrew allegedly had sex with her — excerpts of which were published by the Guardian earlier in the week.

Andrew’s children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are set to retain their titles.

No Kings

If you can't make it,

just drive by and honk 

A Shadow Government

Russell Vought is the Dark Prince of the Deep Swamp.